Exploring the Hottest and the Coldest Places in the Solar System
Space is inherently cold with a baseline temperature of about 2.7 kelvins (minus 270.45 degrees Celsius), but specific locations within the solar system vary widely in temperature. Generally, colder regions are found farther from the Sun or in areas shielded from solar heating. Despite the vastness of space having nearly nothing to capture the Sun's energy, the coldest spots are found on planets, moons, and asteroids. This is prepared by SSP.
The Coldest Places in the Solar System
Initially, one might assume that the most distant and frigid region would be Pluto. Yet, recent findings suggest that the coldest location may actually be on our Moon. According to data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2009, the permanently shadowed regions in lunar craters might be the coldest place in the inner solar system, potentially registering temperatures as low as 25 kelvins (minus 248.15 degrees Celsius). These "doubly shadowed" craters, shielded from both direct and reflected sunlight, contain micro-cold traps storing highly volatile compounds and elements.
For context, although Pluto is extremely cold with an average surface temperature of around 40.4 kelvins (minus 232.75 degrees Celsius), it is warmer than these lunar craters. Even colder extremities might exist in the Oort Cloud, where temperatures can plunge to about 5 kelvins (minus 268.15 degrees Celsius). However, the classification of the Oort Cloud as part of the solar system remains debatable.
The Hottest Places in the Solar System
Conversely, the hottest place is indisputably the Sun, with a core temperature of approximately 15 million degrees Celsius (27 million degrees Fahrenheit). Surprisingly, its corona is even hotter than its surface, exceeding 1 million degrees Celsius.
Other notable hot spots include Jupiter's moon Io and the planet Venus. Io, renowned for its volcanic activity, sees temperatures soaring over 1,000 degrees Celsius due to internal friction from its elliptical orbit around Jupiter. Venus, cloaked in a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere, traps heat efficiently, boasting surface temperatures around 460 degrees Celsius (860 degrees Fahrenheit), sufficient to melt lead.
Temperature Extremes on Special Objects
Despite not being the hottest or coldest, Mercury experiences the most drastic temperature variations within the solar system due to its slow rotation and lack of a substantial atmosphere. By day, Mercury’s surface can reach a scorching 430 degrees Celsius (800 degrees Fahrenheit), dropping to a frigid minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit) at night.
Comparisons with Earth
Comparatively, Earth's extreme low recorded at Russia's Vostok Station stands at minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 89.2 degrees Celsius), which is significantly warmer than the coldest sites of the moon or outer space constructs. Artificially, scientists have managed to achieve temperatures as low as minus 273.15 degrees Celsius in the lab, surpassing natural cosmic cold spots, as evidenced by a German team's success outlined in their recent research.
In summary, while notable extremes exist both in cold lunar craters and the sweltering solar atmosphere, temperature extremes across the solar system underscore how the distance from the Sun and geological features influence thermal diversity.
