How can light "travel" through a vacuum?

Answer 1

Well, that's somewhat of a mystery.
We think of "waves" as being "disturbances" that pass through a "medium."

Think of waves on the ocean, passing through the medium of water, or soundwaves passing through the medium of air (or through the medium of water, or through the medium of walls).

So how can light waves pass through space where there is no medium? Scientists used to argue about whether there actually WAS some medium in space (they called the medium "ether"), but they have long since decided that there IS no medium. Light just passes through space.

In MODERN physics, light is regarded as both waves AND a particles, and it has the special property that it moves faster than anything else is allowed to move.

Not a direct answer to your question of HOW it can happen, but maybe this gives you some perspective on the mystery.

Answer 2

Light is an electromagnetic wave & requires no physical medium.Hence it can travel through vacuum.

Answer 3

it can travel through vacuum because it is both a particle and a wave. waves need a medium through which to travel, but particles do not. light is just weird.

Answer 4

light waves or radiation does not need a physical medium to be transmitted, unlike sound waves. light behaves like a partcle in a vacum and like a wave when interacting with mediums. i don't think anyone really knows why this happens.

Answer 5

Light is a manifestation of space ,it moves through the medium that initiated it's existence.

Answer 6

light is a wave and a particle so it doesn't need a median to travel though

Answer 7

Yes
Light is an electromagnatic wave. & electromagnetic waves doesn't need any material medium to travel.

Answer 8

Yess !