It's Okay to Be Smart: Sunlight Is Way Older Than You Think. Here’s Why…
If the sun instantly switched off like a light bulb, it would take almost 8 and a half minutes before humans on Earth realized what happened. Light travels at the fastest speed there is, but it still takes almost 500 seconds to get to Earth. This means the sunlight that reaches Earth is old. How is that possible? It is due to the concept of random walks. Part of the “It’s Okay to Be Smart” series.
Media Details
Runtime: 8 minutes 23 seconds
- Topic: Science
- Subtopic: Astronomy, Space Sciences
- Grade/Interest Level: 10 - 12
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2020
- Producer/Distributor: PBS Digital Studios
- Series: It's Okay to Be Smart
- Report a Problem
Related Media

It's Okay to Be Smart: Using Gene Editing to Repaint Butterfly Wings

It's Okay to Be Smart: Unraveling the Monarch Butterfly Migration Mystery

It's Okay to Be Smart: Could You Be a Chimera?

It's Okay to Be Smart: Why the Stars Are Disappearing

It's Okay to Be Smart: Do Trees Talk?

It's Okay to Be Smart: Why Don't Birds Lay Square Eggs?

It's Okay to Be Smart: Apollo’s Most Important Discovery--Inside NASA’s Moon Rock Vault

It's Okay to Be Smart: 7 Scientific Urban Legends Debunked!

It's Okay to Be Smart: Why Money Isn't Real (But the Technology Behind It Is)

It's Okay to Be Smart: How Ancient Ice Proves Climate Change Is Real