Temperature?

Question

The temperature of the atmosphere at high altitude is around 500 Celsius. Yet an animal there would freeze to death and not boil. Why?

Answer 1

I've been looking for a refrigerator-oven that works like the high altitude atmosphere. First it flash freezes my chicken. Then when I get hungry it nukes it at 500 Celsius. Wonderful! Where can I get one?

Answer 2

They would freeze to death at a high altitude that has thin air and is below 0 Celsius. As you go higher, there is so little air that the heat from the sun causes the air to be 500 Celsius and would actually burn or boil an animal (although it wouldn't be breathing).

Answer 3

Air temperature generally decreases with altitude. That's why you see more snow on the mountains than the valleys. So it's very unlikely to get so much hotter than the surface of the earth. An unprotected animal around 10,000 to 15,000 feet elevation is likely to freeze to death. Above 20,000 or 30,000 feet it is more likely to suffocate due to lack of oxygen.

Answer 4

how could the temperature of the atmosphere be 500 degrees celcius, that is utterly impossible, air is cooler as altitude gets higher, if you are sitting on a plane at the window seat and you touch the window, its cold not hot, and space shuttles entering space will heat up tremendously

Answer 5

dear naina,
the temperature varies as altitude increases to a point the temperature decraeses and then it increases.but as u said it will not reach 500 degree.chectk the temperatutes of different layers of atmosphere u will get conclusion.
then in an answer it is written on mountains u find snow. it is due to adiabatic expansion of air and it makes air do work with its internalenergy and thus temp rops and vapour content in air condense to snow