School of Physics, University of Sydney
The temperature of Heaven and Hell?
The temperature of Heaven can be rather accurately computed from
available data. Our authority is the Bible: Isiah 30:26 reads,
"Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the
sun and the light of the sin shall be sevenfold, as the light
of seven days." Thus Heaven receives from the moon as much
radiation as we do from the sun and in addition seven times
seven (49) times as much as the earth does from the sun, or
fifty times in all. The light we receive from the moon is a
ten-thousandth fo the light we receive from the sun, so we can
ignore that. With these data we can compute the temperature of
Heaven. The radiation falling on heaven will heat it to the
point lost by radiation is just equal to the heat received by
radiation. In other words, Heaven loses fifty times as much
heat as the earth by radiation. Using the Stefan-Boltzmann
fourth-power law for radiation
(H/E)^4 = 50,
where E is the absolute temperature of the earth - 300K. This
gives H as 798 K (525 degrees Celcius).
The exact temperature of Hell cannot be computed, but it must be
less than 444.6 C, the temperature at which brimstone or sulphur
changes from liquid to a gas. Revelations 21:8: "But the fearful,
and unbelieving ... shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone." A lake of molten brimstone
means that its temperature must be below the boiling point.
We have, then, temperature of Heaven 525 C. Temperature of Hell
less than 445 C. Therefore, heaven is hotter than Hell.
[Jokes]
[Thermal]
[TP teacher]
[TP student]