Question

How long does it take light to travel from the Moon to the Earth? From the Sun to the Earth? From Jupiter to the Earth?

Short answer

Answer: It takes approximately 1.28 seconds for light to travel from the Moon to the Earth, around 8 minutes 19 seconds to travel from the Sun to the Earth, and 34 minutes 56 seconds to travel from Jupiter to the Earth.

Step-by-step solution

Gather the necessary information

First, we need to gather the average distances between the objects and Earth: - Earth-Moon distance: 384,400 km (average distance) - Earth-Sun distance: 149,600,000 km (also known as an astronomical unit or AU) - Earth-Jupiter distance: 628,730,000 km (average distance) The speed of light is constant, approximately 299,792 km/s.

Calculate the time from the Moon to Earth

Using the formula time = distance / speed_of_light, let's calculate the time light takes to travel from the Moon to the Earth: time_moon_earth = Earth-Moon distance / speed_of_light time_moon_earth = 384,400 km / 299,792 km/s time_moon_earth ≈ 1.28 s So, it takes approximately 1.28 seconds for light to travel from the Moon to the Earth.

Calculate the time from the Sun to Earth

Now, let's calculate the time light takes to travel from the Sun to Earth: time_sun_earth = Earth-Sun distance / speed_of_light time_sun_earth = 149,600,000 km / 299,792 km/s time_sun_earth ≈ 499.00 s So, it takes approximately 499.00 seconds (around 8 minutes 19 seconds) for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth.

Calculate the time from Jupiter to Earth

Finally, let's calculate the time light takes to travel from Jupiter to the Earth: time_jupiter_earth = Earth-Jupiter distance / speed_of_light time_jupiter_earth = 628,730,000 km / 299,792 km/s time_jupiter_earth ≈ 2096.62 s So, it takes approximately 2096.62 seconds (around 34 minutes 56 seconds) for light to travel from Jupiter to the Earth. In summary, it takes light approximately 1.28 seconds to travel from the Moon to the Earth, around 8 minutes 19 seconds to travel from the Sun to the Earth, and 34 minutes 56 seconds to travel from Jupiter to the Earth.