Why doesn't light get absorbed?

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So, in summary, the Sun's gravitational pull is not strong enough to bring light back into it, but it is strong enough to attract slower and closer objects like the Earth into orbit.
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Gravitonion
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If light can give off gravity, why doesn't the gravity exerted by the sun kind of. Absorb it before it can go off to Earth and other planets?
 
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If you're asking why doesn't the light emitted by the Sun simply fall back into the Sun, it's for the same reason I can build a rocket ship so powerful that it can fly out of the solar system and away from the pull of the Earth. The gravitational pull (or really, the curvature of spacetime) isn't enough to bring a photon back into it. You need something far more massive and compact like a black hole. What the Sun can do is only really bend light passing by slightly.
 
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But then how does the sun attract the earth?
 
  • #4
Gravitonion said:
But then how does the sun attract the earth?

Through the same process. Something needs to be going rather slowly or be very close to an object like the Sun to be caught in an orbit. The Earth is moving very slow compared to something like light.

Light, even if emitted directly off the surface of the Sun, is just going way too fast to be pulled in by the Sun.
 

FAQ: Why doesn't light get absorbed?

Why can light travel through space without getting absorbed?

Light is made up of particles called photons, which do not have a charge. This means that they are not affected by the electric and magnetic fields of other particles, allowing them to travel through space without getting absorbed.

What causes light to get absorbed?

Light can get absorbed when it interacts with matter. When a photon collides with an atom, it can transfer its energy to the atom and be absorbed. This is why objects appear to have color - because they absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others.

Why do some materials absorb more light than others?

The ability of a material to absorb light depends on its physical properties, such as its molecular structure and density. Materials with more complex structures and higher densities tend to absorb more light because they have more opportunities for photons to interact with their atoms.

Can light be completely absorbed?

Yes, light can be completely absorbed under certain conditions. For example, in a perfect black body, all light that enters is absorbed and converted into heat. In everyday materials, light is usually only partially absorbed, with some being reflected or transmitted through the material.

How does the color of an object affect its ability to absorb light?

The color of an object is determined by the wavelengths of light it reflects. Objects that appear black absorb most, if not all, wavelengths of light. On the other hand, objects that appear white reflect most wavelengths of light. Therefore, the color of an object can affect its ability to absorb light, with darker colors typically absorbing more light than lighter colors.

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