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my attempt at a thought experiment that seems to suggest elliptical orbits are better in this regard: if you have an efficient insulator, you could absorb an a
by novaleaf 10y ago
my attempt at a thought experiment that seems to suggest elliptical orbits are better in this regard:
if you have an efficient insulator, you could absorb an arbitrarily large amount of heat at the perigee, and retain it for the remainder of the orbit.
if you were in a circular orbit, you'd only be able to absorb up to the ambient temp.
- cperciva 10y agoAmbient temperature is a red herring; the sun is hotter than the ambient temperature so you can always win by absorbing energy from the sun and then emitting it to the rest of space.