The Secrets of the Universe | The Paradox that Broke Astronomy @TheSecretsoftheUniverse | Uploaded March 2023 | Updated October 2024, 4 days ago.
Have you ever looked at the night sky and wondered why it's dark? After all, with billions of stars out there, shouldn't the sky always be bright? This is known as Olber's Paradox, named after a German astronomer who asked in the 19th century, "If the universe is infinite, homogeneous, and static, why is the night sky dark?" The answer lies in the fact that the universe is actually finite and expanding. The light from stars outside our immediate vicinity is stretched and weakened by the expansion of space, making them invisible to the naked eye. Also, because of the finite speed of light, the light from distant stars has yet to reach us. It's outside of our observable universe. So, while there are countless stars out there, the combination of distance and expansion means they're too faint to see, resulting in a dark night sky.
Have you ever looked at the night sky and wondered why it's dark? After all, with billions of stars out there, shouldn't the sky always be bright? This is known as Olber's Paradox, named after a German astronomer who asked in the 19th century, "If the universe is infinite, homogeneous, and static, why is the night sky dark?" The answer lies in the fact that the universe is actually finite and expanding. The light from stars outside our immediate vicinity is stretched and weakened by the expansion of space, making them invisible to the naked eye. Also, because of the finite speed of light, the light from distant stars has yet to reach us. It's outside of our observable universe. So, while there are countless stars out there, the combination of distance and expansion means they're too faint to see, resulting in a dark night sky.
