Exploring the Mysteries of EM Waves in Space

[hareeshgnair]

Hi,

I am not a student of physics, asking the question as it came to mind as I read certain articles:

1. When EM Waves is emitted by a source say star it spreads in vacuum. How does the waves Stretch? What fills in the gaps as the sphere of spread grows? If light emission is continuous does the density of light in the sphere has any relation to the distance from source? Basically I doubt how can the light spread continuously without breaking up..or something like that.

2. If all the light from different stars are accounted for..do different light spheres interact and say cancel or reinforce each other?

Advance thanks for the replies,
Harish

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

1. Does the density of light in the sphere has any relation to the distance from source?

2. If all the light from different stars are accounted for..do different light spheres interact and say cancel or reinforce each other?

1. Yes, for a sphere, it is an inverse square relation [photon density = constant/(distance)^2]. If sufficiently far away, a detector may see a single photon, or none, within a certain time period.

2. At a given observing point, starlight just adds up.

 

[hareeshgnair]

So does it imply:
1. That lot of information from around the universe is lost, as we may not receive any photons from the light sources.
2. That if two starlight adds up..I won't be able to distinguish that these are two stars?

I hope its not so simple to conclude!:)

 

[Drakkith]

Remember that light is emitted in quanta's called Photons, the particle of light. When something such as a light bulb or a star emits light, it emits each photon in a random direction. The light in your living room emits trillions upon trillions of photons, and a star has many many many more. This means that given enough time you WILL see at least one photon from a light source as long as there is nothing to interfere with it on the way to your detector.

 

[sardar]

Hello Harish,

Thank you for your questions about EM waves in space. I am always excited to see people curious about the mysteries of the universe. I will do my best to address your questions in a way that is easy to understand.

1. EM waves, including light, are a type of electromagnetic radiation. This means they are composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that travel through space. The way they stretch is actually a result of this oscillation. As the wave moves through space, the electric and magnetic fields are constantly changing, creating a wave-like pattern. This is similar to a wave on the surface of water, where the water molecules are moving up and down as the wave passes through.

In a vacuum, there is nothing filling in the gaps between the EM waves. They simply continue to travel through space until they encounter an object or are absorbed by something. The density of light in the sphere does decrease as the distance from the source increases. This is because the energy of the wave is spread out over a larger area the further it travels. However, this does not mean that the light is breaking up or disappearing, it is just becoming more spread out.

2. Different light spheres do interact with each other, but not necessarily in the way you are thinking. When multiple sources of light are present, the light waves can overlap and create interference patterns. This can result in areas where the waves reinforce each other, making the light appear brighter, and areas where they cancel each other out, making the light appear dimmer. However, this is not a simple process and depends on many factors such as the distance between the sources, the wavelengths of the light, and the direction of the waves.

I hope this helps to answer your questions about EM waves in space. There is still much to discover and understand about these fascinating phenomena, and I encourage you to continue exploring and asking questions. Who knows, maybe one day you will become a scientist and help unlock even more mysteries of the universe. Best of luck to you!