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Physics

Light Propagation

Quick fact

Light travels at about 299,792 kilometres per second in a vacuum—so fast that it could circle the Earth over seven times in one second, yet it takes over eight minutes to reach us from the Sun.

Why this is interesting

You flip a switch and the room fills with light instantly. But if you look up at the night sky, some stars are so far away that their light has been traveling for thousands of years. What is light doing in between, and why does it sometimes seem to bend?