Undergrad How is light modeled in astrophysics?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the modeling of light beams from distant stars as they interact with telescopes in orbit around Earth. The consensus is that these light beams can be approximated as parallel rays, with their amplitude decaying inversely proportional to the distance traveled (1/d). The concept of modeling starlight as a Gaussian beam with a constant beam radius is proposed, emphasizing that starlight disperses in all directions before reaching Earth, resulting in parallel light rays of uniform intensity.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of light propagation and beam modeling
  • Familiarity with Gaussian beam theory
  • Knowledge of astrophysics and starlight characteristics
  • Basic principles of optics and telescope functionality
NEXT STEPS
  • Research Gaussian beam properties and applications in astrophysics
  • Study the inverse square law in light propagation
  • Explore the effects of distance on light intensity and amplitude
  • Investigate telescope design and its impact on light collection
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Astronomers, astrophysicists, optical engineers, and anyone interested in the principles of light propagation and telescope optics.

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TL;DR
After propagating a long distance, how light is modeled?
Suppose a light beam is sent from a distant star. When the light beam hit a telescope orbiting around the Earth. How is the light beam modeled? I have searched for many keywords without success.

In my opinion, since the beam has gone so far, it can be viewed as parallel rays, with a decaying amplitude proportional to ##1/d## where d is the propagation distance. Therefore, could I model it as a Gaussian beam with a constant beam radius?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
Starlight is not beamed. It is sent out in all directions. Arriving at the Earth starlight is essentially a bunch of parallel light rays of equal intensity.
 

Thread 'Galaxy MoM-z14 - furthest observed object'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoM-z14 Any photon with energy above 24.6 eV is going to ionize any atom. K, L X-rays would certainly ionize atoms. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-the-most-distant-galaxy/ The James Webb Space Telescope has found the most distant galaxy ever seen, at the dawn of the cosmos. Again. https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/webb-mom-z14 A Cosmic Miracle: A Remarkably Luminous Galaxy at zspec = 14.44 Confirmed with JWST...
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