Why can't my headlights shine more than 160 feet in front of me, but stars can emit light that travels allllll the way the fuck to us here on the earth... I understand that on earth, there is atmosphere and whatnot that scatters and stops the light from shining further, but isnt starlight travelling through arguably much more atmosphere to shine all the way the fuck to my eyes? I mean- what the fuck- Why do people believe this shit? Can someone explain to me why I can see starlight from billions of miles away?
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I know I said think of stars as headlights down the road and now I know it was the wrong analogy for you. A firecracker emits light in all directions, no matter where you stand as long as nothing opaque is blocking your vision you can see it. Stars are fireworks that burn continuously like a sparkler, the entire pathway the earth takes around the sun is being hit by that light and the earth is moving into it.
Ever write things or make designs with a sparkler on a warm summer night? Interesting how that movement, which is pretty small, turns the ball of light into streaks..........