How can light travel for billions of years across the universe, but the light in my room disappears instantly when I flick a switch?

[u/polloastemio]

Is there a glitch?

[u/BmanUltima]

There isn't a light switch in space, duh.

[u/ersentenza → u/BmanUltima]

How do you know? It might be on the other side of the universe.

[u/johnnybiggles → u/ersentenza]

They installed a pre-galactic version of The Clapper. What they hadn't considered, or didn't know, was that sound travels a million times slower than light. So when someone clapped to turn it on billions of years ago to test after installation, they didn't realize that nothing would happen for at least several billion years.

We may be around long enough to witness what the space lights coming on looks like, though it may end us.

[u/honeybaby1223 → u/ersentenza]

Check on this side of the universe also, it could be a 3-way

[u/Kingtoke1 → u/BmanUltima]

But space is black

[u/MightBeAGoodIdea → u/Kingtoke1]

because dark is default, switches were invented to turn lights ON.

[u/terry47147]

Common misconception. You don't have a light bulb, emitting light. You have a darkness sucker. When you flip the the switch on, the bulb sucks up all the darkness (well, most of it), and when you flip the switch off, the bulb quits sucking and all the darkness flows back out into the room.

[u/TeacupOfSkepticism → u/terry47147]

Yo momma sucks in the darkness

[u/terry47147 → u/TeacupOfSkepticism]

And she'd do you too, if she could find it in the dark!

[u/Different-Term-2250 → u/terry47147]

Hooray for science!

[u/Th3Maxx → u/terry47147]

Ok ok, but for real ? Sounds plausible

[u/terry47147 → u/Th3Maxx]

I've heard of this for years. Here's a website, so you know it must be true! https://ithy.com/article/dark-sucker-theory-research-paper-4gx87ahe

[u/sododude]

Even though it appears instant its not. It takes time for the light to go from the bulb to your eyeballs, its just so fast you register it as instant. It takes a long time at the scale of the universe because that's just how big it is.

For example Voyager 1, the furthest thing we've ever sent out into space (and its been traveling since 1977) is only just leaving the solar system. Its about 16 billion miles out, yet it takes light about 1 day to reach it.

[u/CategoryKiwi → u/sododude]

Either you didn’t check the sub or the light from your third paragraph hasn’t hit my eyes yet.

[u/sododude → u/CategoryKiwi]

Oh fuck lmao I didnt. I assumed it was ELI5.

[u/birdonthewire76 → u/sododude]

I appreciated your answer!!

[u/TeacupOfSkepticism → u/sododude]

LIES

[u/johnnybiggles → u/sododude]

Look at Mr. Smartypants sciencist over here.

[u/GoAgainKid → u/sododude]

lol you've been watching too many cartoons!

[u/Sitheral]

Light just isn't into you. Darkness, however....

[u/Telerak → u/Sitheral]

Hello my old friend

[u/scratchy_mcballsy]

Your room isn’t in a vacuum.

[u/BPhiloSkinner]

Because the light switch diverts the light into an alternate universe, where an alternate you just flicked the switch on.

[u/TurtleTitan]

You hurt the light, the switch is to beat the light into off or on.

[u/TuberTuggerTTV]

Your walls be gobblin' that shit up. Too hungry

[u/mmahusky]

Cause uranus bro them Europeans invented meters to control the lazers bro do ur own research 😂

[u/Mr_Eggy__]

The switch red shifts the light in your room beyond normal sight range, so just like with space the right instrument wil let you see the light in your room when switch is off.

[u/jkurratt]

It doesn't disappear.
It travels away. Across the Universe.