They don't. Discovering that there's no evidence of a medium was a large part of the work that led to relativity theory.rekha1804 said:Since light waves require a medium to travel,
Empty space is a vacuum. Interstellar and intergalactic space are almost empty, but not quite.rekha1804 said:What is the difference between space and vacuum?
This is a faulty assumption and you would do well to get rid of it.rekha1804 said:Since light waves require a medium to travel
In space, light travels through the vacuum. Unlike sound, which requires a medium like air or water to propagate, light can travel through the emptiness of space due to its nature as an electromagnetic wave.
Light is an electromagnetic wave, which means it consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that can propagate through a vacuum. These waves do not require a medium to travel, unlike mechanical waves such as sound.
Yes, light travels fastest in a vacuum, which is the medium of space. The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (about 186,282 miles per second). When light travels through other mediums like air, water, or glass, it slows down due to interactions with the material.
When light encounters objects in space, it can be absorbed, reflected, or refracted. For example, light from stars can be absorbed by dust clouds, reflected by planets, or bent by gravitational fields, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.
While light can travel vast distances through space to reach Earth, it often undergoes some alteration. Factors such as interstellar dust, gravitational fields, and the Earth's atmosphere can affect the light's path, intensity, and spectrum. However, many photons do reach Earth relatively unaltered, allowing us to observe distant stars and galaxies.