On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:39:51 -0700 (PDT), Mel Rowing
wrote:

On Jul 23, 1:51*pm, abelard wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:19:27 -0700 (PDT), Mel Rowing

I would bet you that if you check the range of temperatures
experienced on mercury it would be much greater than the range of
temperatures *experienced on venus.

doubtless...
but what has that to do with average temperatures?

Because when most people talk of average they mean median i.e. a value
that is lower than 50% of the actual values measured and higher than
the other 50%. Thus if the highest value obtained in each of two sets
of results is of the same order then that set with the greater range
will have the lower median mean.

not so...
1,95,96,97,98,99,100
2,3,4,5,6,100

Unlike mercury venus has an
atmosphere and a particularly viscous one at that.

that is at the centre of global warming claims....
an atmosphere more viscous...to heat transfers.....

Nay! Nay! And thrice nay!

Have you ever made toffee?

Any sugar boiler will tell you that if you don't keep stirring the
mixture you will burn the sugar in the bottom of the pan. This is
because molten toffee is a viscous fluid and convection currents
carrying heat from the bottom of the pan move only very slowly
creating a high temperature differential that carbonises the sugar.

The venusian atmosphere is analgous to this. It is very viscous
(pressure about that encountered at the bottom of an ocean 1 km deep,
density 65Kg/m^3 as opposed to 1.2Kg/m^3 for air) I understand that a
10 m.p.h. wind blowiing on venus would have hurricane force in terms
of damage done.

Thus thermal equilibrium between the venusian surface and space can
only exist when the temperature differential is sufficiently high (ca.
450 deg.C) That is when atmospheric thermals of sufficient power are
set up. That's why venus is so hot.

i think i've done sufficient with this is my above post....
if not please iterate/correct-me

Mercury has no atmosphere.

which is the point...i think/thought...

This fluid
atmosphere stores heat in the form of the translational energy of the
molecules that comprise it just as a pan of hot water or even a cup of
tea will store heat energy for a considerable time after they have
been heated.

not sure why you make this point...read on
we live in that pan....if t gets hotter much changes for the biosphere

Because this is how the atmosphere stores heat energy. You can't
"trap" this. The warmest air forms thermals which carry the heat to
the upper reaches of the atmosphere where radiation becomes musch
easier. The next time you fly in an aeroplane look out of the window.
You can see this happening.

but the 'trapping..as i claim above....relates more to the planet than
the atmosphere

Mercury on the other hand is no more than a chunk of rock orbitting
the sun. The sun side of this rock is heated during the Mercurian day
and temperatures will rise much higher than any on Venus. During the
night this heat will be dissipated into space by normal radiative
emission and temperatures will fall lower than any place on earth.

ok....but where are 'we' going....read on some more

We've just gone!

looking forward to the next edition...

regards..


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