<span>We
use the speed of light to calculate how far apart the stars are, and to
estimate the size and age of the universe. Speed-of-light calculations
are what confirmed that the universe is expanding. And because light
takes a certain amount of time to get here, when we look at the stars,
we're literally looking back in time, to what the universe was like
millions of years ago</span>
We use the speed of light to calculate how far apart the stars are, and to estimate the size and age of the universe. Speed-of-light calculations are what confirmed that the universe is expanding. And because light takes a certain amount of time to get here, when we look at the stars, we're literally looking back in time, to what the universe was like millions of years ago:
<span>"The speed of light is particularly important in astronomy. Due to the vast distances involved it can take a very long time for light to travel from its source to Earth. For example, it takes 13 billion years for light to travel to Earth from the faraway galaxies viewed in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field images. Those photographs, taken today, capture images of the galaxies as they appeared 13 billion years ago (near the beginning of the universe)." </span>
Competition for resources like food and space cause the growth rate to stop increasing, so the population levels off. This flat upper line on a growth curve is the carrying capacity. The carrying capacity (K) is the maximum population size that can be supported in a particular area without destroying the habitat.
Bottom line: The planets in our solar system orbit (revolve) around the sun, and the sun orbits (revolves) around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. We take about 225-250 million years to revolve once around the galaxy's center. This length of time is called a cosmic year.
