If being delusional is having a false persistent belief or opinion not substantiated by sensory or objective evidence, then this blog is about what happens just before that. So, as you read and respond, keep the goal in mind. There is a big difference between being almost insane and being barely insane. This blog is about that difference.
Friday, June 14, 2013
How far can the Sun be seen?
How far away from the Sun can you just barely see the Sun (using Wikipedia)? The Sun is magnitude -26.74 (from Wikipedia). The dimmest stars one can see with the naked eye are approximately magnitude 6. The Sun would have to be |-26.74 - (6)| = 32.76 magnitudes dimmer. The formula for magnitudes is x^5 = 100, x = 100^(1/5), where x is the multiplier to get from one magnitude to the next. The factor dimmer that Sun must be is x^32.76=12,705,741,052,085 (more or less). Light gets dimmer with the square of the distance. Since the Sun is at one AU (x^32.76)^(1/2)=3,564,511 AU is the distance where you can just barely see the Sun. How far is that? 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 meters, exactly. 3,564,511 AU * 149,597,870,700 m/AU = 533,243,305,691,677,319 meters. 1 light-year = 9460730472580800 metres (exactly). 533,243,305,691,677,319 m / 9.4607×10^15 m/LY = 56.363861885414590497131460401964 light years. (OK, so that's more digits than we need). If you were 56.364 Light Years away, you'd be just barely able to see the Sun.
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