Why does light shine on Earth but not in space?

The light from the sun travels a straight line without scattering and all the colors stay together. Since there is virtually nothing in space to scatter or re-radiate the light to our eye, we see no part of the light and the sky appears to be black.

Why doesn’t all of the light from the star’s core make it to Earth?

In most stars, like our sun, hydrogen is being converted into helium, a process which gives off energy that heats the star. The inside is actually millions of degrees, extremely hot! That warms the outer layers of the star, which gives off heat and light. The temperature of such a fire is hot, but not as hot as a star!

Why does light not travel in space?

Light travels as a wave. But unlike sound waves or water waves, it does not need any matter or material to carry its energy along. This means that light can travel through a vacuum? a completely airless space.

Can light travel through space where there is no air?

Light can travel in a vacuum. A vacuum is empty space. There are no molecules of air or anything else in a vacuum. Like all forms of electromagnetic waves, light can travel through empty space, as well as through matter.

Why can light travel through space but sound Cannot?

Light has an oscillation within itself, but it is not oscillation of something else, as sound is. Thus sound cannot pass through space, in which there is no matter, but light can, because light carries its own substance with it as it traverses.

What happens to light when it travels through empty space?

In empty space, the wave does not dissipate (grow smaller) no matter how far it travels, because the wave is not interacting with anything else. This is why light from distant stars can travel through space for billions of light-years and still reach us on earth.

What is the effect of distance from the source of light?

This effect just means that the light/sound source will appear dimmer if we are farther away from it, since we don’t collect all the light it emits. For example, light from a distant star travels outward in a giant sphere.

How does light travel through the universe?

Light just keeps going and going until it bumps into something. Then it can either be reflected or absorbed. Astronomers have detected some light that has been traveling for more that 12 billion years, close to the age of the universe. Light has some interesting properties. It comes in lumps called photons.

What happens to light waves when they travel through vacuum?

In contrast, light waves can travel through a vacuum, and do not require a medium. In empty space, the wave does not dissipate (grow smaller) no matter how far it travels, because the wave is not interacting with anything else.