Well the issue is that a lot of people believe that space is cold. If you will ask Google/Gemini what is a temperature of space, it will tell you:

The average temperature of deep space is approximately -270.45°C or 2.73 Kelvin), which is just above absolute zero. This baseline temperature is set by the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiatio...

Which is absolute nonsense, because vacuum has no temperature.

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jfengel 14 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Vacuum does have a temperature; it has a blackbody temperature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-body_radiation

It has nothing to do with the movements of atoms, but just with the spectrum of photons moving through it. It means that eventually, any object left in space will reach that temperature. But it will not necessarily do it quickly, which is what you need if you're trying to cool something that is emitting heat.

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drowsspa 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

That's not how it works. Two bodies are in thermal equilibrium if there's no heat transfer between them: that's the zeroth law of thermodynamics. If you're colder than 2.73K in deep space, you will absorb the heat from the Cosmic Microwave Background. If you're hotter, you will irradiate heat away. So it does have a temperature.

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aqme28 14 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Well it isn't a perfect vacuum and it does have a temperature. But temperature is only a part of the story, just like how you go hypothermic a lot faster in 50 degree water than in 50 degree air.

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6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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ZeroGravitas 14 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I saw a news personality say that space is cold and that solves a big problem with datacenters as justification for why it made sense.

	▲	iancmceachern 14 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Space is cold because there isn't anything there. There is also no matter to wick the heat away.

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emkoemko 14 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

but if you did use thermometer in space it would eventual read 2.73 kelvin right? so whats the issue? and also for a space based server it would have to deal with the energy coming from the sun

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iancmceachern 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Yes and no.

If you had a thermometer that had no heat generation then yes.

If you have a resistor or other heat generating circuit then you need to have the needed surface area to radiate the heat away. If you don't, it will heat up. It's a rate problem.

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iancmceachern 14 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There is no matter.

It's cold there because there isn't anything there.

So there is nothing to conduct or convect the heat away.

It's like a giant vacuum insulated thermos.

Is putting data centers in thermos' a good idea?

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emkoemko 12 hours ago | parent [-]

i am not saying its a good idea, just wondering because you say space has no temperature, but that makes no sense for the reason CMB radiation would prevent you from having 0 k right? and in fact how would you even measure it? wouldn't the measuring device its self have way more then 0K?

plus you would have to insulate the servers from the sun...then have radiators like the ISS... i think its just way easier to run a server on the ground

	▲	ambicapter 10 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Why did you say "eventually" in your original post? That answers your question.
	▲	iancmceachern 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		It's a rate problem

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legohead 14 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

what thermometer would you use to measure the temperature of space?

	▲	iancmceachern 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Thermocouples

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guluarte 14 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I'm not a scientist but i am also sure it will be fucking hard to dissipate heat in a vacuum