The time it takes for light to travel from the core of the
Sun to its surface, spanning over 20,000 years, stands in stark contrast to the
mere 8 minutes it takes for light to reach the surface of the Earth.
Credit Image Nasa Editing By Arabian Space Science |
The Sun is an enormous ball of plasma that generates both
light and heat through a process called nuclear fusion.
1. When hydrogen
atoms come together to form helium atoms through nuclear fusion, an immense
amount of energy is released.
2. Through the process of nuclear fusion, hydrogen atoms
combine and transform into helium atoms, resulting in the release of an
enormous amount of energy.
3. The combination of hydrogen atoms to create helium atoms
during nuclear fusion leads to the release of a tremendous amount of energy.
However, the journey of these photons from the Sun's core to
its surface is not a smooth one. The core of the Sun is incredibly dense and
hot, reaching temperatures of around 15 million degrees Celsius. As the photons
travel through the plasma, they collide with atoms and molecules, causing them
to scatter in various directions. This results in a long and unpredictable
path, similar to a meandering walk taken by someone who has had a bit too much
to drink. It can take these photons tens of thousands of years to finally reach
the surface of the Sun.
The surface of the Sun, known as the photosphere, is much
cooler and less dense compared to the core, with temperatures of approximately
5,500 degrees Celsius. Here, the photons can escape more easily and travel in a
straight line towards the Earth and other planets. The distance between the Sun
and the Earth is roughly 150 million kilometers, which is also referred to as
one astronomical unit (AU). It takes about eight minutes and 20 seconds for
light to cover this distance.
Therefore, it takes significantly longer for light to travel
from the core of the Sun to its surface compared to the time it takes for light
to reach the Earth from the Sun's surface. This is due to the fact that light
travels much faster in empty space than it does in dense plasma. In a vacuum,
the speed of light is approximately 300,000 kilometers per second, but it can
be slowed down when it interacts with matter. The light we see from the Sun
today was actually generated thousands of years ago within its core.
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