Does Atmosphere Dilation Affect Sunlight Travel Time? | Explained

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    Atmosphere Dilation
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around whether the Earth's atmosphere causes a significant delay in the travel time of sunlight reaching the Earth, exploring the implications of atmospheric density and refractive index on light speed.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if the time it takes for sunlight to reach Earth is delayed by the atmosphere.
  • Several participants assert that there is no significant delay due to the atmosphere.
  • One participant elaborates on the thickness of the troposphere and its mass, arguing that the distance is negligible compared to the total distance light travels from the Sun to the Earth.
  • The refractive index of air is noted to be very close to 1, suggesting that light's speed through air is over 99% of its speed in a vacuum, supporting the claim of no significant delay.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the atmosphere does not cause a significant delay in sunlight travel time, though the initial question indicates some uncertainty about the effect.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not address potential variations in atmospheric conditions or other factors that might influence light speed in different contexts.

Prasun-rick
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Light from the sun takes about 8 mins to reach the earth. But does the time get delayed appreciably due to Earth's atmosphere??
Thanks in advance !
 
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No.
 
Bystander said:
No.
Can you please elaborate it ?? Thanks btw! :smile:
 
The densest portion of the atmosphere, the troposphere, is roughly 7 miles thick and contains 80% of its mass. Seven miles is an utterly tiny distance compared to the 90 million miles light has to travel to get from the Sun to the Earth, so any slowing effect would have to be extreme in order to have an appreciable effect. However, the refractive index of air is very close to 1, so light's speed through air is still more than 99% of its speed through the vacuum of space. Long story short, there's no significant delay caused by the atmosphere.
 
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:smile:Thanks perfectly clear to me now !
 

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