Question

Suppose you are an astronomer, and a child asks you to explain how long it takes light to travel through space. In your own words, answer the child's question. Be sure to mention the speed that light travels in space, and provide a general idea of how long it takes the light from distant stars to reach Earth.

Answer 1

Ok so I would start by saying that light has a maximum speed, then explain that because space is so big we measure it's distance in light years and which means how light travels in a year at 186,282 miles per second Put that in perspective my saying If you could travel at the speed of light, you could go around the Earth 7.5 times in one second. Tell them Sunlight takes about 8 minutes 19 seconds to reach the Earth and that it can take millions or more light years for more distance stars light to reach our telescopes .