Olbers' paradox

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/olbers-paradox

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the paradox name?Olbers' paradox
2. What is the alternative names?Dark night paradox, Olbers and Cheseaux's paradox
3. Why would an infinite, static universe make the night sky bright?In such a universe every line of sight would eventually hit a star. That means we would see the light from stars all the time, making the sky as bright as daylight.
4. How does the expansion of the universe help explain the dark night sky?When the universe expands, the light from faraway stars stretches to longer wavelengths. This redshift moves visible light into infrared or microwave light, which our eyes cannot see.

Astrophysics: The branch of astronomy concerned with the physical nature of stars and other celestial bodies.
Physical Cosmology: The scientific study of the large-scale properties of the universe as a whole.
Cosmological Redshift: The stretching of electromagnetic radiation from distant objects due to the expansion of spacetime.
Static Universe: A universe that is not expanding or contracting, remaining unchanging in size and density over time.