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NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Why is the night so dark? 
Name: seuomo
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 1993 - 1999
Question:
We all know that there are a very big number of stars in the sky. So , I want to know, if possible, the reasons which make the night so dark !!

Replies:
The question you ask is an important one, for its resolution helped bring about the realization that the universe is expanding. The German astronomer Heinrich Olbers considered this very question in a paper published in 1826. There isn't space enough here to do a proper job of answering your question, so I urge you to consult an astronomy text. This is a famous problem and should be treated in many books. Check the book's index for "Olbers' Paradox". For example, the book "The Unity of the Universe" by D. W. Sciama gives a detailed and not-too-technical description of the question and its solution (by the way, Olbers guessed at the solution but his explanation turned out to be wrong). -- Ron Winther

-> maybe one of the other scientists can give a good brief answer. How about it?

RC Winther


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