Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: LetoII on 24/03/2012 17:10:37
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all of the light coming from our stars since the time there have been stars, where does it go?
im wondering about this alot lately, some help would be much appreciated.
and one more question, is it safe to say that since it has energy light also has weight, although very little.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olbers%27_paradox#Absorption
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No Leto, it's not safe to say that light has a weight/mass.
As a theoretical 'system' with light propagating in the opposite directions from each other you can define light as having a mass apparently, but as far as I understand this 'system', as a whole, is no different from the same 'amount' of light going in the same direction, again defined as a 'system'.
And doing it that way there is no mass to discuss.
One of the best reasons I can think of defining light as having no mass is the way we have set it up as a constant 'c'. The reason we assume that this light can have that speed is that it has no mass, and so become what we call a boson.
Assume that light has a mass, then it should do 'work' every time it 'accelerate'.
You can't use the conservation laws solely to explain why a 'photon' have no acceleration, if you infer a mass to it, all as I see it.
Radiation is in my eyes mass less.