• jarfil@beehaw.org
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    7 months ago

    Fun fact: the Sun is 8.3 light-minutes away from Earth, so the eclipse will start with light that left the Sun 8 minutes earlier, and end with light that left it 4 minutes before the eclipse.

    If someone were to stand on Earth and send a signal to the Sun saying “hey, the eclipse is starting!”… it wouldn’t reach the Sun until 4 minutes after it already ended.

    (Edit: typo)

    • MaxHardwood
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      7 months ago

      Light is a constant and there isn’t gravitational lensing between the Earth and Sun. Any light from the Sun always reaches us at the same speed of roughly 8 minutes

      • jarfil@beehaw.org
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        7 months ago

        That’s what I said (minus a typo).

        (to nitpick however… there is some effect on the timing depending on how the planets align… wonder how a Moon right on its path impacted it)