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In our Solar System, we see light from our sun reflected off the planets. In more distant galaxies, light from many millions of stars takes a long time to reach the Earth. It takes light 4 years to reach the Earth from Sirius, a near neighbouring star. Using the Hubble telescope, we can see the light from the Eagle Nebula, which takes 7,000 years to reach the Earth.

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How long does it take for light from big dipper stars to reach earth?

The stars from the Big Dipper are approximately 80 light years away from Earth, meaning it takes 80 years for the light from those stars to reach us. This means that the light we see today from the Big Dipper actually left those stars 80 years ago.


Could stars be dead?

The stars we see are so far away, that their light can take hundreds or thousands of years to reach us. So long after the light we saw left the star, but before the light arrived here, the star may have blown up. We would not know for a long time after that. So many of the stars that we do see may be long dead.


Do you see stars as they are or as they were?

as they were, the time it took the light to travel from them to us determines how long ago we are viewing, even the light from our sun is 8 minutes old if I remember right.


The light from stars are used to determine what?

The light from stars can tell us what type of star it is (our Sun is a G type), the stars spectrum can tell us what elements are in the star, and its intristic brightness can help us determine how far away it is. Also, if there is a wobble in the star, or a change it the stars brightness can tell us if it has a planet.


Why can you still see stars after they have died?

The nearest star (other than the Sun) is 4.7 light-years from Earth, meaning it takes 4.7 years for light from that star to reach us. That star could die and we would not know it for 4.7 years. Some stars are billions of light years away, it would be billions of years before we noticed that the star was no longer shining.

Related Questions

Why does it take stars so long to get to us?

light travels at the speed of 3 x 10 8 meters per second. Some stars are many light years away.


Why do stars in the sky appear close when they really aren't?

Stars are pretty much the light from stars that died. The light is a supernova and the stars are so far away that it takes a long time for the light to reach us. Once the light reaches us, we won't see that star anymore. If you went up to the "star" there wouldn't be anything there. The light is still traveling toward us, but the star is gone.


Does it sometimes take millions of years for starlight to reach earth?

Not for the stars you can see without a telescope. All of the stars you see at night are within a few hundred light years of Earth, so it does not take the light more than a few hundred years to reach us. There are stars in other galaxies that are millions or even billions of light years away. That light does take millions to billions of years to reach us, though the stars are too far away for us to thee them individually.


Where the star?

The stars are to be found in space, the nearest star to us is the sun. The sun is big because it is close to us the other stars are like the sun but are just points of light because they are a long long long way away form us.


Why is the light produced by stars not a significant source of light to us?

The sun is closer to us than other stars.


How long does it take for light from big dipper stars to reach earth?

The stars from the Big Dipper are approximately 80 light years away from Earth, meaning it takes 80 years for the light from those stars to reach us. This means that the light we see today from the Big Dipper actually left those stars 80 years ago.


How long does light take to get from the sun to us?

8 minutes


How long does it take light to get to us?

it takes 8 minutes


How long would it take to get to Orions belt?

The Belt is not a single group; it has three main stars, at distances between approximately 800 and 1340 light-years. To get to the nearest of these stars, therefore, would take about 800 years, if you managed to travel at a speed close to the speed of light. With current technology, however, it isn't possible to reach even stars that are much closer to us.


Could stars be dead?

The stars we see are so far away, that their light can take hundreds or thousands of years to reach us. So long after the light we saw left the star, but before the light arrived here, the star may have blown up. We would not know for a long time after that. So many of the stars that we do see may be long dead.


How do planets and stars send light to us?

Planets reflect light from the sun. Stars emit their own light.


How many meters per second would it take stars light to reach earth?

Light travels at about 300,000 metres per second. The time taken for that light to reach us would depend on the stars distance.