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Top Document: [sci.astro] General (Astronomy Frequently Asked Questions) (2/9) Previous Document: Introduction Next Document: B.01 What good is astronomy anyway? What has it contributed to society? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge [Dates in brackets are last edit.]
B.01 What good is astronomy? [1997-08-06]
B.02 What are the largest telescopes? [2000-04-04]
B.03 What new telescopes/instruments are being built? [2000-01-01]
B.04 What is the resolution of a telescope? [1995-08-23]
B.05 What's the difference between astronomy and
astrology? [1995-08-23]
B.06 Is there scientific evidence for/against
astrology? [1995-08-23]
B.07 What about God and the creation? [1995-08-27]
B.08 What kind of telescope should I buy? [2001-01-17]
B.09 What are the possessive adjectives for the
planets? [1995-12-05]
B.10 Are the planets associated with days of the week?
[2000-11-12]
B.11 Why does the Moon look so big when it's near the
horizon? [1997-01-21]
B.12 Is it O.K. to look at the Sun or solar eclipses using
exposed film? CDs? [1996-11-20]
B.13 Can stars be seen in the daytime from the bottom of a tall
chimney, a deep well, or deep mine shaft? [1996-06-14]
B.14 Why do eggs balance on the equinox? [1996-06-14]
B.15 Is the Earth's sky blue because its atmosphere is nitrogen
and oxygen? Or could other planets also have blue
skies? [1998-02-06]
B.16 What are the Lagrange (L) points? [2003-10-18]
B.17 Are humans affected psychologically and/or physically by
lunar cycles? [2000-06-03]
B.18 How do I become an astronomer? What school should I
attend? [1996-07-03]
B.19 What was the Star of Bethlehem? [2002-05-04]
B.20 Is it possible to see the Moon landing sites? [2003-09-18]
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[sci.astro] General (Astronomy Frequently Asked Questions) (2/9)
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[sci.astro] General (Astronomy Frequently Asked Questions) (2/9)
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with stars, then every direction you looked would eventually end on
the surface of a star, and the whole sky would be as bright as the
surface of the Sun.
Why would anyone assume this? Certainly, we have directions where we look that are dark because something that does not emit light (is not a star) is between us and the light. A close example is in our own solar system. When we look at the Sun (a star) during a solar eclipse the Moon blocks the light. When we look at the inner planets of our solar system (Mercury and Venus) as they pass between us and the Sun, do we not get the same effect, i.e. in the direction of the planet we see no light from the Sun? Those planets simply look like dark spots on the Sun.
Olbers' paradox seems to assume that only stars exist in the universe, but what about the planets? Aren't there more planets than stars, thus more obstructions to light than sources of light?
What may be more interesting is why can we see certain stars seemingly continuously. Are there no planets or other obstructions between them and us? Or is the twinkle in stars just caused by the movement of obstructions across the path of light between the stars and us? I was always told the twinkle defines a star while the steady light reflected by our planets defines a planet. Is that because the planets of our solar system don't have the obstructions between Earth and them to cause a twinkle effect?
9-14-2024 KP