The sun emits white light, which is a mixture of light from all frequencies. Instead, it should have emitted a beam of light of the same frequency, as the source is the same?
So, can you please explain why the sun emits light in all frequencies?
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2$\begingroup$ Have you looked here: @ sciencefocus.com/science/what-colour-is-the-sun $\endgroup$– Brendan DarrerCommented Aug 5, 2023 at 14:58
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1$\begingroup$ Welcome to SE. I do not understand the logic "should have emitted a beam of light of the same frequency, as the source is the same". $\endgroup$– KoschiCommented Aug 5, 2023 at 16:33
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1$\begingroup$ Most of the light from the sun is black body radiation from the upper layers of its "atmosphere." $\endgroup$– Solomon SlowCommented Aug 5, 2023 at 16:49
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1$\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? Why is the Sun’s emission spectrum shaped like this? $\endgroup$– ProfRobCommented Aug 5, 2023 at 20:10
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1$\begingroup$ See also physics.stackexchange.com/q/645671 physics.stackexchange.com/q/59213 physics.stackexchange.com/q/167787 $\endgroup$– ProfRobCommented Aug 5, 2023 at 20:11
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1 Answer
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The light sources are excited atoms subject to violent agitation. That level of agitation exists in a distribution with some atoms being shaken more violently than others. This means the emitted light will exist in a distribution of frequencies given by the blackbody formula.
This is a universal law obeyed by most hot objects (like tungsten filament light bulbs, or the cosmic microwave background for example) in the absence of other effects.
answered Aug 5, 2023 at 17:32
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$\begingroup$ "This is a universal law obeyed by all hot objects." A counter-example would be the Sun's corona which certainly doesn't have a blackbody spectrum. $\endgroup$– ProfRobCommented Aug 6, 2023 at 21:02
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