r/nottheonion • u/Vera_Telco • 9d ago

DC heat melts head off wax replica of Abraham Lincoln

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0xxjn07d6qo
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u/EddieSpaghettiFarts 9d ago

They measure that temp in the shade. Poor Abe doesn’t even have an umbrella.

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u/ArethereWaffles 9d ago

It's also a measure of air temperature which is different from an object's surface temperature. Just because the air is 90F doesn't mean asphalt roads, metal railings, or wax statues are at 90F

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u/SuperOrangeFoot 9d ago

Yeah it seems wild to me to look at a melting object in direct sunlight and go “what is the ambient temperature of the air surrounding it?”

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u/bingate10 8d ago

It shouldn’t be wild it is basic thermodynamics. Both are important. Air removes solar radiant heat absorbed by objects. Colder air moving faster will drive cooling most. Air got too warm and/or stagnant and the wax heated above melt point from sunlight. It was fine in the sun before it melted.