0
Light travels at a constant speed of 299,792,458 meters per second.
Because of the vast distances involved in space, it takes light many years to travel from the source and your eye.
The sun is said to be 8 light minutes away. We see the sun as it was 8 minutes ago.
When we start talking about more distant objects the time increases greatly. We see our nearest stellar neighbour other than the sun (Proxima Centuri) as it was 4.2 years ago. It has taken light that long to travel to us. We see the nearest large galaxy (Andromeda or M31) as it was before modern man evolved some 2.5 million years ago. We see the Fornax Cluster of galaxies as it was about the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The further away we look the longer back in time we are looking.
The most distant object we have seen is believed to be a star that exploded 13.1 billion years ago only 630 million years after the big bang. The star was believed to have collasped into a black hole causing a massive gamma ray burst dubbed GRB 090423.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoSure. If it is X number of light years away, but burnt out less than that number of years ago, then we would still be receiving light from it and would have no way of knowing that the burnout happened yet.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoThe light that was emitted by the star that number of years ago is just reaching Earth now. So we see that star as it appeared in the past.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoYou can read the electomagnetic spectrum in empty space with a special device. The number of light years away the background radiation is, is the time when the big bang occurred.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why do stars that don't exist still stay in the sky?
Stars that don't exist still stay in the sky because the light that we're seeing in the sky is about 10 years old because it takes so long for the light to get here due to the stars being billions of miles away
How old are the stars?
The age of the stars can vary from billions of years old, to only a few hundred. They are being born all the time and inversely dieing all the time.
Can stars shine for billions of years?
Yes. Most stars do. Our own star, the sun, is about 4.6 billion years old and is expected to last for about another 5 billion years. The smallest, slowest-burning stars are believed to be able to last for trillions of years. Giant stars, which burn quickly, may only last a few million years.
Why are the blue stars in space old?
They are not - relative to other stars.A blue star has a very short life time - millions rather than billions of years.
How long ago was big bang?
It is believed to have occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
Why do stars that don't exist still stay in the sky?
Stars that don't exist still stay in the sky because the light that we're seeing in the sky is about 10 years old because it takes so long for the light to get here due to the stars being billions of miles away
How big is the average irregular galaxy?
There are about 400 billion stars in galaxies
If a galaxy appeared to be 8 billions years old how far would it have to be located to see it as its is being described?
Eight billions light years. Because that is how long it takes for light to reach us from there.
How old is the sun and the stars?
The Sun is about 4.5 billions old.
How many galaxies are in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field?
There are at least 3000 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field North (with billions of stars, planets, and moons in each one; as well as asteroids and nebulae). Their light has taken 13 billion years to reach Earth.
How old are the Suns neighbouring stars?
65 billions of yeas
Evidence against the world being billions of years old?
There really is no evidence against the world being billions of years old, mainly because we've proven that the earth IS billions of years old.
How old can a fossa get?
more than billions and billions of years
How old are the stars?
The age of the stars can vary from billions of years old, to only a few hundred. They are being born all the time and inversely dieing all the time.
Are shooting stars really millions of years old?
A shooting star or meteor is a piece of rock burning up in the atmosphere. Most of these fragments formed around the same time the solar system did, so they are not millions but billions of years old. The light of the meteor itself is something you see as it happens.
Can stars shine for billions of years?
Yes. Most stars do. Our own star, the sun, is about 4.6 billion years old and is expected to last for about another 5 billion years. The smallest, slowest-burning stars are believed to be able to last for trillions of years. Giant stars, which burn quickly, may only last a few million years.
How old is a caveman?
like billions of years old
