Absolute Time and Existence of Visible Stars
The stars that we see at night, are they really there
or is it just the light that is traveling across universe after
the star has died or moved many light years ago?
The stars you see are stars as they were a certain number of years ago. For
instance, one sees the Sun (a star) as it was 8 minutes ago; Alpha Centauri
as it was 4 years ago, etc. The star(s) in question might have died or exploded
in the meantime, but we have to wait for that light to reach the Earth.
The star light you see is from stars whose light left them many years ago. However
they are almost certainly all still there, except maybe some re brighter or fainter
than they were when their light left them. If you and I were close together, you
would see me as I appeared a tiny fraction of a second ago. But I would still be
Thanks; good question.
David H. Levy
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Update: June 2012