light from the sun takes 8 minutes to reach Earth, since i was told light speed is kind of the "limit", will it take 8 minutes for us to be hit?
i always thought no, but the light speed theory made me curious...
2007-06-13 02:26:12 · 8 answers · asked by edgardbonilla 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
Matter other than light particles (photons) does not travel at the speed of light. It would take about 15 minutes for actual material to arrive here.
The sun wouldn't blow up though. It doesn't contain enough mass for that.
2007-06-13 02:29:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It will take 8 minutes for us to know that the Sun has blown up, not to get affected. That will take more--maybe a few days. Remember, any explosion/flame is also afterall matter, and matter cannot travel at the speed of light (well, that's what Einstein said a few decades ago, and to which most of the scientists have been agreeing all along).
Yes, it sounds weird, but when we look at the stars, we're looking at what they were say few years ago (the closest stars the alpha, beta and gamma centauri are 4.2 light years away).
2007-06-13 05:13:20 · answer #2 · answered by ketan C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the sun blows up pieces of sun reach very slowly. Only light is the fastest not the sun.
2007-06-13 02:58:08 · answer #3 · answered by J.SWAMY I ఇ జ స్వామి 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, if the sun were getting ready to blow, it would have already destroyed the Earth, so don't worry. However, if for some reason it should just blow up today then yes it would take 8 min. to reach us.
2007-06-13 02:36:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the event the sun does explode, the shockwave from that explosion will take much longer than the absence of light on our earth.
After all the resultant particles from the explosion and light travel at different speeds.
2007-06-13 03:03:57 · answer #5 · answered by SafeKeeping 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, absolutely.
If the moon suddenly blew up, we wouldn't see it until about 1.25 seconds later. If Jupiter, about an hour; the next nearest star after the sun, about 4 years.
2007-06-13 02:29:39 · answer #6 · answered by Gary H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, my answer would be No/Yes
For No, no damage would come to earth, besides no sun. But that definetley is a loss.
For Yes, what I just said. There would be no Light. Which is damage to our Earth.
2007-06-13 02:36:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, that's correct. That is the soonest any evidence of the explosion would reach earth.
2007-06-13 02:30:00 · answer #8 · answered by jbone907 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋