How Far Does Light Travel in a Year?

Binary_Bark

Binary_Bark

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The Universe is an extremely big place. As astronomers looked farther into space over the centuries, and deeper into the past, they came to understand just how small and insignificant our planet and our species seem by comparison. At the same time, ongoing investigations into electromagnetism and distant stars led scientists to deduce what the the speed of light is – and that it is the fastest speed obtainable.

As such, astronomers have taken to using the the distance light travels within a single year (aka. a light year) to measure distances on the interstellar and intergalactic scale. But how far does light travel in a year? Basically, it moves at a speed of 299,792,458 meters per second (1080 million km/hour ; 671 million mph), which works out to about 9,460.5 billion km (5,878.5 billion miles) per year.

The Speed of Light:
Calculating the speed of light has been a preoccupation for scientists for many centuries. And prior to the 17th century, there was disagreement over whether the speed of light was finite, or if it moved from one spot to the next instantaneously. In 1676, Danish astronomer Ole Romer settled the argument when his observations of the apparent motion of Jupiter’s moon Io revealed that the speed of light was finite.
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Read More At: https://www.universetoday.com/45047/how-far-does-light-travel-in-a-year-1/
 
Anyway, everyone knows light isn't the fastest; Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.
 
halfmoonforever said:
Anyway, everyone knows light isn't the fastest; Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.
- Terry Pratchett
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FTFY
 
Suspect99 said:
You missed the reference
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To Pratchett? Perhaps you don't realise that Pratchett is a Mental Constructionist. He thinks reality is whatever we deem it to be. "We tell the universe what it is" is a notorious quote.

My own view is quite the opposite. We discover reality - it exists quite independently of our own consciousness.

Which is why I rejoice in science, and discoverable phenomena like the ontological status of light - and the non-existence of non-light. Darkness isn't a thing that can be there. It's literally no-thing.
 
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Arthur said:
To Pratchett? Perhaps you don't realise that Pratchett is a Mental Constructionist. He thinks reality is whatever we deem it to be. "We tell the universe what it is" is a notorious quote.

My own view is quite the opposite. We discover reality - it exists quite independently of our own consciousness.

Which is why I rejoice in science, and discoverable phenomena like the ontological status of light - and the non-existence of non-light. Darkness isn't a thing that can be there. It's literally no-thing.
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Ok then you got the reference, but don''t have a sense of humour.
 
Its relative...

Light can be slowed down as well, it can not break the speed limit.

So question should be: How Far Does Light Travel in a Year at maximum velocity? ;)

Edit: Ok I lied/forgot, there are things that break said speed limit. Metric expansion of space (Thats what causes redshift and also why the universe will always be dark. Cause we moving away faster from some lit objects in space than the light traveling from them to get to us.
 
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Suspect99 said:
too soon:cry:
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I'd like to think he would have appreciated that.

Anyway, here's a non-sequitir of a quote (or misquote depending on my memory) -

"Vimes's grin was as funny as the one that moves quickly towards drowning men. And has a fin on top."
 
AlphaJohn said:
Its relative...

Light can be slowed down as well, it can not break the speed limit.

So question should be: How Far Does Light Travel in a Year at maximum velocity? ;)

Edit: Ok I lied/forgot, there are things that break said speed limit. Metric expansion of space (Thats what causes redshift and also why the universe will always be dark. Cause we moving away faster from some lit objects in space than the light traveling from them to get to us.
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Not really breaking the rule - if you think about it?
Nothing within Space can travel faster then light - but Space itself can expand at a rate faster then light?
 
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