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16
Jul 00
Sun

Astronomy

While we’re on the topic of the heavens, here’s a page that explains Why is the sky dark at night? The answer is not as obvious, from a scientific point of view, as you think.

In 1826, the astronomer Heinrich Olbers asked, “Why is the sky dark at night?” By his time, physicists had learned enough to realize that, in a stable, infinite universe with an even distribution of stars, the entire universe should gradually heat up.

Think about it — if there are stars generating energy throughout the universe (energy sources), and if there is no way ultimately to dispose of that energy (energy sinks), then all the objects in the universe must rise in temperature, in time achieving the temperature of the stars themselves.

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