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Olbers’s paradox poses an interesting question: If the universe is infinite, then any line of sight should eventually fall on a star’s surface. Why then is the sky dark at night? Discuss the commonly accepted evolution of the universe as a solution to this paradox.

a) The universe is not infinite
b) Dark matter absorbs starlight
c) The universe is expanding
d) Stars eventually burn out

User Miebster
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Final answer:

The commonly accepted solution to Olbers's paradox is the expansion of the universe, which results in the light from distant stars becoming too faint to be visible to the human eye.

Step-by-step explanation:

Olbers's paradox suggests that if the universe is infinite and contains an infinite number of stars, then any line of sight should eventually fall on a star's surface, leading to a bright sky at night. However, the sky is dark at night, which is known as the darkness paradox. The commonly accepted solution to this paradox is the expansion of the universe.

The expansion of the universe implies that the light from distant stars gets redshifted (stretched) as it travels through expanding space. This redshift causes the light to lose energy, making it fainter. As a result, the light from stars that are extremely far away becomes too faint to be visible to the human eye, explaining why the sky appears dark at night despite the possibility of an infinite number of stars in the universe.

User Chkal
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