An asteroid with an albedo of 0.1 and a comet with an albedo of 0.6 are orbiting at roughly the same distance from the Sun. How do their temperatures compare?
A) They both have the same temperature.
B) The comet is hotter than the asteroid.
C) The asteroid is hotter than the comet.
D) You must know their sizes to compare their temperatures.
E) You must know their compositions to compare their temperatures.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The temperature of an object in space depends on its albedo and distance from the Sun, according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Objects with higher albedo reflect more sunlight and absorb less, while objects with lower albedo absorb more sunlight and reflect less. Since the comet has a higher albedo than the asteroid, it reflects more sunlight and absorbs less, making it cooler. Therefore, the asteroid, with a lower albedo, will be hotter than the comet, assuming they are at the same distance from the Sun.

An Asteroid with an Albedo of 0