Name: Sunlight is way older than you think
Uploaded: 2025-01-15T21:22:24Z
Duration: 4 min 21 s
Description: It takes light a zippy 8 minutes to reach Earth from the surface of the Sun. But how long does it take that same light to travel from the Sun’s core to its surface? Oddly enough, the answer is many thousands of years. Sten Odenwald explains why by illustrating the random walk problem. [Directed by Eduardo Sandoval, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Christopher Bullé-Goyri].

Sten Odenwald: Sunlight is way older than you think

Sunlight is way older than you think

It takes light a zippy 8 minutes to reach Earth from the surface of the Sun. But how long does it take that same light to travel from the Sun’s core to its surface? Oddly enough, the answer is many thousands of years. Sten Odenwald explains why by illustrating the random walk problem. [Directed by Eduardo Sandoval, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Christopher Bullé-Goyri].

The light that reaches Earth from the Sun may take only eight minutes to cross space, but its journey inside the Sun lasts about 170,000 years. Photons created in the Sun’s core bounce endlessly among dense particles, slowly shifting from gamma rays to visible light. This random walk through turbulent solar layers means every sunbeam is a messenger from a distant past, starting its voyage before humans even wore clothes. The Sun’s inner dynamics turn a simple trip into a labyrinth lasting across ages.