Do the Sun’s rays get further apart from each other over distance?

Ah… if by the Sun’s rays you mean the photons it emits then, due to their quantum nature, it isn’t actually possible to define their location (nor the distance between them) in a traditional sense. Furthermore, because photons are ‘bosons’, they can’t even be regarded as having separate identities.

However, scientifically, what we can do is talk about the intensity of sunlight at the Sun’s surface compared to its intensity at Earth (which is lesser by a factor of about 46,000).

Asked by: Jeff Slee

Read more:

• How does solar energy actually work?
• How far apart are the Sun, Moon and Earth during eclipses?
• Will increased Sun activity make climate change worse?
• Are there any quantum effects that we can see in everyday life?

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