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How long would it take the light from the sun to reach mars?

seo-qna
Last updated date: 16th Jun 2024
Total views: 373.8k
Views today: 9.73k
Answer
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Hint:Mars stays as the fourth planet in the solar system and the second-smallest planet right above Mercury. Mars is referred to as the "Red Planet" due to its high amount of iron oxide deposits. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a relatively thin atmosphere among the planets, with surface features reminiscent of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth.

Complete answer:
Light generally travels at a speed of 299,792 kilometres per second. Mars is situated on the fourth position from the sun. Due to its smaller size and the lack of a significant atmosphere, combined with Mars’ distance from the Sun, make Mars a cold planet. Mars is almost a little far away from the Sun as Earth is hence, the light will take more time than that of the Earth.
Light from the sun takes about eight minutes and twenty seconds to reach Earth. Hence, it will take 12.5 minutes for the sunlight to reach Mars which is approximately 759.9 seconds. The closest recorded approach of sunlight is 187 seconds, or 3.11 minutes.

Note:The angle of the rotation axis of Mars also changes much more frequently than that of Earth, leading to swings in the Martian climate from thousands to millions of years on a time scale. Furthermore, the orbit of Mars is less circular than that of Earth, meaning that over the course of a Martian year, its orbital velocity varies more. This annual variation impacts the timing of the solstices and equinoxes of the red planet.