MEMO TO BILL NYE

If the sun is so hot, why is space so cold?

Reuters/NASA

Boiling into space.

Published November 12, 2017Last updated on March 9, 2020This article is more than 2 years old.

Apparently, this is a question people ask, and they don’t like it when you make fun of them.

On Nov. 8 Bill Nye, America’s iconic “Science Guy,” was torn to shreds on Reddit while holding an online discussion to promote his TV show on Netflix. The show, modestly titled Bill Nye Saves the World, has been panned as shallow and out-of-touch, and so when Nye posted on Reddit, ”I’m Bill Nye and I’m on a quest to end anti-scientific thinking. AMA [Ask Me Anything],” the sound of knives being sharpened was deafening.

Some of the greatest scorn concerned his flippant response to the question: “If the Sun is hot, why is space cold?” Nye’s full answer:

Enrich your perspective. Embolden your work. Become a Quartz member.

Your membership supports a team of global Quartz journalists reporting on the forces shaping our world. We make sense of accelerating change and help you get ahead of it with business news for the next era, not just the next hour. Subscribe to Quartz today.

Start free trial

Membership includes:

Unlimited access to award winning journalism
Goodbye paywall! With unlimited access to Quartz you’ll get contextualized, digestible, and high-quality business news that offers a fresh perspective on the ideas and trends shaping the global economy.
Weekly Field Guides
Each week, Quartz takes a deep dive into the companies, people, and phenomena defining the global economy. Field guide topics range from The birth of geriatric cool to China’s changing influence and What Gen Z wants.
Member-only newsletters
Every Monday morning we’ll send you a TLDR of our latest field guide to help you save time and get smarter faster. On Thursday, our editors wrap up the best of Quartz coverage on a specific topic to take you into the weekend.
Digital events from Quartz at Work
Get early invites—and access to playbacks and recaps—for bi-monthly virtual events that explore the challenges of a modern-day worker. Topics range from remote teams to the science of decision-making and how to build an antiracist company.
Presentations
Dive into topical presentations that you can take to your next meeting and use to guide your decision making. Learn how to ace your next online presentation, how to be more productive, and how to understand the future of cloud computing, among other topics.

こちらは英語版への登録ページです。
Quartz Japanへの登録をご希望の方はこちらから。

Enrich your perspective. Embolden your work. Become a Quartz member.

Unlimited access to award winning journalism

Weekly Field Guides

Member-only newsletters

Digital events from Quartz at Work

Presentations