How was the light year discovered? Detailed answer

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How was the light year discovered? Detailed answer

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How was the light year discovered?

Although we cannot fully explain what light is, we can measure it quite accurately. We have a pretty good idea of how fast light travels. Since a light year is simply the distance a ray of light travels in a year, the true discovery was related to the speed of light. This was done by a Danish astronomer named Ole Römer in 1676. He noticed that the eclipses of one of the satellites of Jupiter come later and later as the Earth moves in its orbit to the far side of the Sun, opposite to that where Jupiter is located.

Then, when the Earth returned to its previous position, the eclipses again began to occur according to the previous schedule. The time difference was about 17 minutes. This could only mean that this time is required for the light to travel a distance equal to the diameter of the earth's orbit. This distance is known to be approximately 186 miles. Since it took light about 000 seconds (about 000 minutes) to travel this distance, this meant that the speed of light was about 1000 miles per second.

Already in modern times, Professor Albert Michelson has spent years trying to accurately determine the speed of light. Using a different method, he got a result of 186 miles per second, and this is now considered a completely accurate figure. If we multiply this speed by the number of seconds in a year, then it turns out that in a year light travels 284 miles - this distance is called a light year.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How old is wrestling?

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports known to man. Hundreds of scenes from wrestling matches are depicted on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs. They show almost all the grips and racks known in our time. Thus, wrestling was a highly developed sport already 5000 years ago! As an organized and scientifically based sport, wrestling originated in Greece, probably from Egypt or Asia.

But there is a Greek legend according to which wrestling was invented by the hero Theseus. In the ancient Greek system of sports, wrestling occupied a very important place. Greek wrestlers usually smeared their body with oil, after which they rubbed sand into the oil to ensure a good grip. The best wrestler of the ancient world, Milo of Croton, won 32 victories in the national championships and had six victories in the Olympiads. In Japan, where wrestling is very popular, the first officially registered wrestling match took place in 23 BC. e.

The Japanese have one style of wrestling, sumo, in which the weight of the wrestlers is of great importance. Some sumo champions weighed no less than 135 kilograms, being extremely strong, while at the same time moving easily. In the UK, wrestling has also been practiced for a very long time. Did you know, for example, that King Henry VIII was fond of wrestling and was considered a good wrestler?

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