Question

when a solar flare erupts on the surface of the sun, how many minutes after it occurs does its light show up in an astronomer's telescope on earth?'

Answer 1

When a solar flare erupts on the surface of the sun, the light it produces travels at the speed of light, which is about 299,792,458 meters per second. This means that the light from the solar flare takes approximately 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth, assuming there are no significant obstructions in its path. Therefore, an astronomer on Earth would typically see the light from a solar flare about 8 minutes and 20 seconds after it occurs on the surface of the sun.