Written in SCIENCE he
Have you asked yourself Why can’t you see sunlight in space?? It is possible that out of mere curiosity we have not questioned this, not necessarily because of a school assignment. But regardless of the reason why this doubt has arisen, it is interesting to know why the Sun it is not enough to illuminate the space in its entirety, despite its large dimensions and the energy it radiates.
To clear up doubts and answer this question, here we explain the reason for this lack of light in our galaxy.
Why is space dark if the Sun is there?
Throughout the Universe there are multiple galaxies, the Milky Way being one of them and where the largest star of all is located: the Sun. This 700,000-kilometer-radius dwarf star, estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, has the ability not only to radiate heat, but also light, just as it does around planet Earth. But with everything and its dimensions, it is not possible for it to illuminate the space. For what is this?
In an interview with National Geographic, the doctor and researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Vladimir Ávila-Reese, explained that the fact that the Sun do not light the space it has to do with the light it emits, especially with its scattering and reflection on bodies.
Avila Reese commented that the Sun It is a star that generates energy that comes out in the form of electromagnetic radiation, also known as photons, and most of this radiation is visible, like the light we see on Earth.
Despite the fact that it gives off high radiation and light energy, these decrease as the distance to be illuminated is greater. Because of this, when an astronaut is in space and moves away from a certain celestial body, he will notice a decrease in the amount of light emitted by the spacecraft. Sunin addition to the fact that it will only be visible if you go in a straight line, since that is how this star radiates it.
Likewise, to illuminate uniformly or homogeneously the spaceit is necessary that there is a medium that reflects the light of the Sun and helps to disperse it in various directions, not to mention that the distance at which a body is located and even the presence of other light sources also influence the luminous range. .
That is why a considerable amount of light and radiation does reach Earth, since being a planet relatively close to the Sun it is possible to detect and feel the temperature and luminosity, depending on the point of the planet where we are.
In short, the fact that the Sun does not reach to illuminate the space in its entirety is because the space It is relatively empty, that is, it does not have enough particles and media to facilitate the dispersion of sunlight, quite the opposite of what happens inside our planet Earth.
Even though he Sun It is the largest star in our galaxy, this does not mean that its characteristics are enough to radiate light and heat to all of space, especially knowing that it is infinite.
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