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The paradox also assumes several things about light, specifically that light propagates forever. Only in recent years have we managed to prove that assumption t
by sandworm101 3y ago
The paradox also assumes several things about light, specifically that light propagates forever. Only in recent years have we managed to prove that assumption true. But if light did degrade over astronomical distances, a static and infinite universe could still have a dark sky at night. If one postulates that light degrades into lower and lower frequencies over time/distance, maybe we are indeed living in a non-expanding universe? Given the thermodynamic issues of an accelerating expansion (dark energy) photons that degrade over distance seems at least a less-strange option.
- sethammons 3y ago> light propagates forever .... Only in recent years have we managed to prove that assumption true I thought the dark of night was explained by redshift (given distance, it shifts out of the visual spectrum). I guess the infra-red still continues on so that is in line with light propagating forever
- prewett 3y agoIn a static universe there would be no redshift, since the redshift comes from the universe expanding.
- pixl97 3y agoBefore we realized the universe was expanding and redshift occurred there was Tired Light https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tired_light https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tired_light
- Jerrrry 3y agoI am actually intrigued to had never encountered this term when reading Sagan or Hawking or Dawkins - thank you.
- charcircuit 3y ago>Only in recent years have we managed to prove that assumption true How? What if after 100 years light has a small chance to disappear.
- sandworm101 3y agoBecause very distant objects describe a very different universe, meaning the light has traveled in time without degrading. For instance, the cmb doesn't match the current universe, proving both that light travels forever and that the universe is not static. Distant objects also do not show degradation in brightness beyond square area expectations. They are redshifted, but not dimmer than would be normal.
- ars 3y agoIt also assumes that the density of stars is constant in an infinite universe. You can have an infinite universe, but with all the stars located in just part of it, i.e. finite mass, infinite space. Most of the light heads off into empty space, never to be seen again.