If light is not affected by time, then why does light cool down over time?

In summary, as space expands, objects and photons within it cool and dilute out. However, unlike particles of matter, photons do not slow down as they cool. Instead, their vibrational frequencies decrease, causing them to change color from violet to blue to green, yellow, and red before finally becoming infrared, microwave, and radio waves. Time, which is the change from one moment to another, affects light due to this change. However, according to Einstein's theory of relativity, time completely stops at the speed of light, which may seem contradictory. However, when taking into account that we live in spacetime, where time is not independent of space, this all fits together. This also explains how the expansion of the universe affects
  • #1
conner.ubert
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As space expands objects dilute out and cool, which includes photons; however photons do not slow down like particles of matter instead, when they cool their vibrational frequencies decrease. This means that they change color, they go from violet to blue then to green, yellow, and red. Then they move onto infrared, then to microwave and lastly to radio waves. Since time is the change from one moment to another, light is affected by time because of the change. However according to Einsteins theory of relativity time completely stops at the speed of light. This obviously makes no sense since time, does appear to affect light.
 
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  • #2
conner.ubert said:
As space expands objects dilute out and cool, which includes photons; however photons do not slow down like particles of matter instead, when they cool their vibrational frequencies decrease. This means that they change color, they go from violet to blue then to green, yellow, and red. Then they move onto infrared, then to microwave and lastly to radio waves. Since time is the change from one moment to another, light is affected by time because of the change. However according to Einsteins theory of relativity time completely stops at the speed of light. This obviously makes no sense since time, does appear to affect light.

Welcome to PhysicsForums, conner!

Actually, there is no conflict here. You will find a lot of things in Physics are simplified for general discussion purposes. For example, Newton's gravity is just as accurate as Einstein's when conditions warrant. To address your comment: keep in mind that we live in spacetime; i.e. time is not independent of the space we live in. When you take this into account, everything fits nicely. In other words, the expansion of the universe affects the background microwave radiation too.

Keep reading, and keep asking questions!
 

Related to If light is not affected by time, then why does light cool down over time?

1. Why does light cool down over time?

Light does not actually cool down, but rather its intensity decreases over time. This is due to the phenomenon known as light attenuation, where light gradually loses energy as it travels through a medium or space. This can be caused by scattering, absorption, or reflection.

2. How does light attenuation affect the speed of light?

Light attenuation does not directly affect the speed of light, which is a constant in a vacuum. However, light can appear to travel slower in a medium due to the absorption and re-emission of photons, which can cause a delay in the propagation of light.

3. Does light experience time?

Light does not experience time in the same way that we do. According to the theory of relativity, time appears to slow down for objects traveling at high speeds. Since light travels at the speed of light, time does not pass for photons, and they do not experience aging or decay.

4. Can light be affected by temperature?

Yes, light can be affected by temperature in terms of its intensity and wavelength. When a light source is heated, it emits more energetic photons, resulting in a higher intensity of light. Additionally, the wavelength of light can change with temperature, which can affect its color.

5. Why doesn't light lose energy in a vacuum?

Light does not lose energy in a vacuum because there is no medium for it to interact with. In a vacuum, there are no particles to scatter or absorb photons, so light can travel indefinitely without losing energy. This is why light from distant stars and galaxies can reach us even though it has been traveling for billions of years.

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