When you look at stars in the night sky or watch the solar system model, the background is always black. Why don’t the stars ignite the entire Universe and make it white? To answer that question, let’s ask: What if the Universe were white?
The Situation
In fact, this situation is pretty impossible unless someone broke physics. You see, the speed of light is not infinite after all, and if the scenario happened with a similar configuration, c would be infinity. And also, if there were enough light to make the entire cosmos white, the Universe would be more massive. Remember the rule that matter and energy can be neither created nor destroyed, only converted?
Why is the scenario impossible?
Well, to make the cosmos wholly white, it is much scarier than a Halloween movie. First of all, we need to clarify that although we see black as a color, it actually isn’t. Black objects absorb all spectrum of light, while white ones reflect all of them. But, the Universe is transparent because there aren’t many particles in outer space to interact with light.
But, completely white is improbable because the more light it reflects, the whiter it is. That means, to make the Universe look like that, we would risk being blind and vaporized instantly.
To find out this image, please visit
How would it affect us?
The Universe is almost completely black despite quadrillions of stars illuminating it. After all, it is mostly empty, right? We would need millions of times more stars that the temperature of the cosmos would easily reach tens of millions of degrees.
Being in an environment that hot is fatal since the particles would be so energized that they emit gamma-rays. Imagine a Supernova3 exploding right next to you…… The rays would kill our entire planet in a fraction of an instant. Talking about a scorching Halloween, have you thought of Climate Change4?
Conclusion
The next time you stargaze, please don’t complain about the background, because it is essential for your living. Remember to be grateful for everything you have, explore the benefits, and happy Halloween!
References, Credits and Links
- LifesBiggestQuestions, (2019, July 10). What If The Universe Was White? – YouTube. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxBb52b-lb0
- What If the Universe Was White Instead of Black? – YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM1_rnoyxv4
- https://www.centralgalaxy.com/what-are-supernovas
- https://climate.nasa.gov