Science

How long does it take sunlight to reach Earth?

Photo by Andrea Caramello / Unsplash

Someday the sun will expand so much that it will engulf the Earth and everything on it. Thankfully, we've still got billions of years before that happens, so no need to panic just yet (although it never hurts to plan ahead).

But let's say one of those UAPs decides to blow up the star at the center of our solar system — if you're just a regular person hanging around in the sun, you wouldn't even notice. Not immediately.

Thanks to the time it takes for sunlight to travel through the void of space and help us make tea, you'd have this exact amount of time before things went dark.

Click START to play trivia.

Read next

Put the Star Wars movies in chronological order

Put the Star Wars movies in chronological order

Back in 1977, Star Wars was simple. For starters, it was just called Star Wars — no episode titles to contend with. Three movies came out, told a story, and bam, everyone moved on with their lives. Right? One speed bump in that plan was that it nearly instantly became one...

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Here’s a pro tip: If you ever find yourself tasked with a divine quest to find the Holy Grail, make sure you know what your favorite color is. Sadly, Sir Galahad wavered, and thus was thrown into the pits of certain doom beneath the Bridge of Death — a bridge...

Elisabeth Shue withdrew from which prestigious university to be in The Karate Kid?

Elisabeth Shue withdrew from which prestigious university to be in The Karate Kid?

The name Elisabeth Shue, for many of us, is synonymous with a leisurely afternoon catching a movie sometime in the 1980s. From the highly underrated Adventures in Babysitting to a couple of Back to the Futures to her breakout in 1984’s The Karate Kid, it seems that acting must...

What’s the name of Fred and Wilma’s daughter on The Flintstones?

What’s the name of Fred and Wilma’s daughter on The Flintstones?

Every cartoon family is required to have a baby. It’s basically a law at this point. The Simpsons have Maggie, and the entire show of Rugrats is all about babies. If you’ll pardon the terrible joke, people are gaga over babies. Personally, I would’ve advised against Fred...

What’s the name of the fictional town where The Lost Boys takes place?

What’s the name of the fictional town where The Lost Boys takes place?

Before Joel Schumacher got his hands on The Lost Boys, vampires were frankly kind of unfairly depicted as nothing more than old dudes who sleep in coffins. Released in 1987, the vampire cult classic finally showed us that bloodsuckers could be cool and sexy. Well, at least by late ‘80s...

Who has hosted Saturday Night Live the most times?

Who has hosted Saturday Night Live the most times?

I can’t be the only one who thinks being the host of Saturday Night Live is a scam, right? I mean, you’re the guest so why are you running the show? That would be like inviting me to your restaurant, but then once I get there you say,...

Who was the only actor from the original Top Gun NOT to vomit during their time in fighter jets?

Who was the only actor from the original Top Gun NOT to vomit during their time in fighter jets?

Here’s something that will take your breath away: Flying in an F-14 Tomcat. These bad boys can reach a Mach speed of up to 2.34, or roughly 1,795 miles per hour. When Top Gun first came out in 1986, it was not the cultural powerhouse it is...

What ‘90s sitcom aired three potential series finales before a final series finale in 1996?

What ‘90s sitcom aired three potential series finales before a final series finale in 1996?

The 1990s were the last great golden age of TV sitcoms. Sure, you have a handful of great shows that popped up in the aughts, but then streaming came along and since about 2015 most people are still just trying to figure out what to watch (and where you can...