The universe essentially is playing a game of hot potato. Every particle is trtying to shed energy as fast as it can but neighbouring particles keep passing theirs along as well.
A simple illustrative example. Two men, one with $90 the other with $10, want to give their money away. Every minute they can pass 10% of their money to the other. After an hour of this they both have $50 but they are still passing $5 to each other every minute.
Even the SB power equation is a vast simplification because it is only dealing with one direction, between the two objects. Radiation is happening at all times and in all directions, continuously.
Always illustrations...and thought experiments...and this and that...but no actual measured observations of an object radiating out and absorbing energy from a cooler object at the same time....why don't you tell Toddster why he can't find any actual example....rather than let his claims that they exist pass?
And thanks for finally admitting that the SB equation is describing a one way energy flux..one must wonder why you didn't bother to mention it to Toddster for all these pages while he has continued to claim that the SB equation is describing a two way flux.
Hahahaha. Are you really that stupid that you thought I was talking about one way flow rather than a flow in one particular direction?
Objects radiate in all direction, 3 axis, 6 main directions. Two regularly shaped objects will have a shortest posible line segment between them that carries the highest amount of energy defines the average direction of flow.
Obviously irregularly shaped objects or unusual topography would affect the flow, but it would also invalidate the simple form of the SB equation.