OLBERS' PARADOX

In astrophysics and physical cosmology Olbers' Paradox, named after the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers (1758-1840), also known as the "dark night sky paradox" is the argument that the darkness of the night sky conflicts with the assumption of an infinite and eternal static universe. In the hypothetical case that the universe is static, homogeneous at a large scale, and populated by an infinite number of stars, any line of sight from Earth must end at the surface of a star and hence the night sky should be completely illuminated and blindingly bright. This contradicts the observed darkness and non-uniformity of the night. Despite the Earth's 24-hour rotation during which we spend approximately 12 hours facing away from direct sunlight, there is statistically enough light energy and matter in the universe to maintain a constant light sky surrounding the Earth. Newton's assumptions that the universe is static, infinite and homogeneous formed the basis of Olbers' exploration into the dark night sky paradox. Olbers further proved that the distance of each star from the Earth remains independent of its intensity because the light emitted from each star accumulates to form significant brightness.