On: Athena landed in a dark crater where the temperature was -280° F / -173° C

[winwang]

Is that really "space" as opposed to "the lingering effects of the big bang"? (or less interestingly, the temperature of the CMB photon gas)

[danwills → winwang]

I don't think a photon can exist outside of space, but I'd be very interested to hear of any alternate points of view on that!

[winwang → danwills]

What I mean is that isn't the temperature of "space" -- if we're being pedantic. Such a temperature would presumably be measured by the blackbody radiation of... space, if space were a blackbody.