Originally posted by jjw004:
Thanks again:
It is a more serious question than I can frame.
Consider the surface of a light source 10,000 light years away from us. Calculate the size of the photon that left that surface and compare it to the size it must achieve at the end of the journey. If the photon expaned constantly over that great distance it would be thousands of times larger that when it started out. If it did not expand then it must be dividing itself to continue to fill up the ever increasing volumn so that no empty space would be left inbetween.
This does not require an answer by any one. It is just one of my curiosities of which I have many to play with. Existing scientific thinking is not always satisfying for me.
jjw
the size of the photon is the same as it is when it leave the surface of the sun. the thing is the number of them per square centmeter at the surface or the sphere 100000 light years away is extreamly small. the entire surface of the sun is sending out photons in all directions. some of them will be assorbed by things in the way, some will be deflected, and other will be reflected. when you look at the star, what you are seeing is the sum total of the all the photons thrown off the surface in your direction (or more spacifically, the directions of your eyes) that was not absorb, deflected, or reflected along the way that arrive at that instant.
