ANSWERS: 1
  • radiation cooling into space is always occurring. The only difference between night and day is the incoming radiation from the sun. Typically this rises to a maximum at noon and to zero after sunset and before sunrise. Because of the mechanics involved there is a delay, so that usually all else being equal the hottest part of a day is in the afternoon. The rate of radiation cooling depends on the temperature of the earth, so one could argue that the maximum cooling starts after sunset and decreases until sunrise when the earth has a chance to heat up again. Of course it isn't this simple because air and water movement can transfer heat from the hot sunward side to the cooler opposite side in complex ways.

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