If i look at the sun, am i seeing it how it is this very moment?

Question

The light takes many years to reach us, so does that mean our sight of the sun is what the sun was like many years ago.

I know it's instant but it's strange becuase light is so fast that it's also practically instant.

Technically i can see into the past then... Cool

Answer 1

The Andromeda galaxy is about the furthest you can see (into the past) with the naked eye.

It is 2.5 million light years away - so you are seeing an object that existed before humans appeared on the earth!

It's best visible from dark locations anytime except summer. If you struggle to see it with naked eye - it's pretty easy with binoculars!

Answer 2

Please be VERY careful looking at the sun. Do NOT look at it through any optical instrument e.g. telescope, binoculars (you normally project an image onto a suitable background and look at that).

The sun is 93,000,000 miles away (give or take a million) and it takes light 8 minutes or so to arrive from the sun - this means you are seeing the sun how it was 8 minutes ago - if you look at the moon you are seeing it how it was 1 1/4 seconds ago)

Technically everything you see is in the past however unless you look at something an astronomical distance away it is not important (You do occasionally detect delays when seeing people on television on the opposite side of the world and hearing them reply to questions)

Answer 3

Well, as you´ve been told it only takes 9 minutes to reach you. But the light from other stars and galaxies DOES take years, so yes, you are looking into the past!
If you´re into looking at the sun, check out this site - it will give you a much clearer picture of how its looking right then (or better said, 9 minutes ago). You can see if there is any sunspot activity that day, etc.
Enjoy!

Answer 4

Its about 8 light minutes away meaning that its light takes 8 minutes to reach the Earth, so we see the Sun as it was 8 minutes ago.

I hope that this helps

Answer 5

All our observations and measurements about the Universe and the solar system as well are relative to the the Our planet Earth only.
Light velocity is also measured relative to the Earth. No other measurement about the speed of light has ever been taken from other reference frames outside our Galaxy.
There fore there is no scientific proof that the speed of light is homogenous thru out the Universe.
Light that reaches the earth from the Sun does not take years to be absorbed on the Globe.
Light travel at aprox 3x10^5 kilometers per seconds and to reach the Earth it take about 498 seconds.
Light is generated from Our Sun and also from stars and Galxies in the Universe.The reason that star light dont reach us instantaneously is because it has to travel astronomical distances before it reaches us;However at what velocity it has never been exactly proven.

Answer 6

It is only around a 8 min delay, not years. So the light you are seeing right now was projected 8 mins ago.

Light from the stars (far away suns) at night have traveled years to be visible to earth. You might even be looking at a star that is no longer there! Fun fact, huh?

Answer 7

No you are not. Neither does it take years to reach us, about 8minutes 30 seconds, which i'm sure you will agree is far from instant. This single observation may lead some to ask, do we live in the past ? If nothing happens in an instant then everything you experience has already occured some time before, must one therefore conclude that we live in the past..........

Answer 8

Light from the sun only takes about 8 or 9 minutes to get to the Earth, not "years." But, yes, that light left the sun 8 or 9 minutes ago.

We do not see reality with our eyes, though. That much is correct. Even when you look at a person across the room, you do not see them. What you "see" is your brain's interpretation of the light reflected off of them (some brief time in the past). It's not really them. It's your perception of them based on the limited senses that you have interpreting data that is invariably older than instantaneous.

[inhale deeply..... hold....... hold...... cough.... blow smoke out]

Answer 9

It means when looking at any object (10 feet away, or 10 light years away, or any distance) you are viewing it with "look back time". The further away, the bigger the look back time.

On average, our sun is 8.5 light minutes from the Earth. When viewing the sun, you are seeing it as it truly was approximately 8 and 1/2 minutes ago.

Answer 10

the average distance from the earth to the sun is 93 million miles.

light travels at 186,000 miles per second.

93,000,000 miles x (1 sec / 186,000 miles ) = 500 seconds

so if you look at the sun, you see light that was generated 500 seconds ago. ie. your looking about 8 minutes into the past.

and that concept applies to distant stars as well. if you look at a star that is say 1000 light years away, you're seeing light that was generated 1000 years ago. ie. you're looking 1000 years in the past.