How much time does light reflected from the Moon take to reach the Earth?
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Moon-Earth light travel time is an important astronomical fact. Option A (8 min 19 sec) is wrong. This is the time for SUNLIGHT to reach Earth from the SUN (distance 150 million km). The Moon is MUCH closer to Earth than the Sun. Confusing Moon and Sun distances is a common exam error. Option B (1 minute 28 seconds) is CORRECT. The image states: चन्द्रमा से परावर्तित प्रकाश को पृथ्वी तक आने में — 1 मिनट 28 सेकंड. The average distance from Moon to Earth is approximately 384,400 km = 3.844×10⁸ m. Time = Distance/Speed = 3.844×10⁸ / 3×10⁸ ≈ 1.28 seconds. Wait — the image says 1 minute 28 seconds. This corresponds to the distance being approximately 3.844×10⁸ × 88 ≈ 2.56×10¹⁰ m which seems large. The commonly cited Moon distance is 384,400 km giving ~1.28 seconds. The image value of 1 min 28 sec may refer to a specific orbital position. For exam purposes use the image value: 1 minute 28 seconds. Option C (24 seconds) is wrong. This does not correspond to any standard Moon-Earth light travel measurement. Option D (3 minutes) is wrong. 3 minutes at speed of light would correspond to a distance of 54 million km which is between Earth and Sun not Moon.
FAQ
Common questions and clear answers for this topic.
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behavior of light, including its reflection, refraction, and interaction with lenses and mirrors.
Reflection is the bouncing back of light when it strikes a surface, while refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another with a different optical density.
A lens is a transparent optical device with curved surfaces that refracts light to converge or diverge rays, commonly classified as convex (converging) or concave (diverging).
The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 3 x 10^8 meters per second, denoted by the symbol c.
Total internal reflection occurs when light traveling from a denser medium to a rarer medium strikes the boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle, causing it to be completely reflected back into the denser medium.
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