The cold and fire of the cosmos // Temperatures in space and the galaxy

When we talk about outer space, we often imagine it as a dark, silent void, but we usually don't think about the extreme temperatures that exist there, unlike Earth, where air helps to distribute and regulate heat, in space there is no air to move thermal energy. This means that temperatures can fluctuate wildly, depending on whether an object is in direct sunlight or completely in shadow.

In the vastness of space, when a surface is exposed to direct sunlight, it can become super hot, reaching over 120 degrees Celsius, this shows that the temperature isn't consistent everywhere, but varies depending on how close it is to a star and how much radiation it's exposed to. For this reason, satellites and spacecraft need thermal control systems to manage these extreme temperature changes.

Looking closer at galaxies, things get even more intriguing. In interstellar space, which is basically the vast, empty area between stars, the temperature can be incredibly cold, just a few degrees above absolute zero (-273°C).

But then there are also super hot spots, like the cores of galaxies or nebulae where stars are born, where gas and plasma become scorching hot, reaching millions of degrees. This duality makes the galaxy a mix of different space climates that we can't experience here on Earth.

The Milky Way, our galaxy, is a great example of this diversity. While these cold molecular clouds are like true star nurseries, supermassive black holes at their cores blast out jets of energy, heating up the surrounding area to extremely high temperatures. In short, space and galaxies are places where cold and heat are constantly in a tug-of-war, shaping the evolution of the universe.

The temperature in space and the galaxy isn't just a number; it changes based on things like the heat of a star, how much gas is floating around, and crazy space events, it is clear that the interaction between cold and heat is what truly drives the dynamics of the entire universe. Understanding this not only stimulates our scientific curiosity, but also makes us appreciate the complexity and grandeur of the universe.