Journal
AstronomyCuriosity

Why is the night sky dark?

Olbers' paradox and an expanding universe.

FZ

Fundació Zebra

22 Jul 2026

If the universe were infinite, unchanging and full of stars, every line of sight would eventually land on a star — and the whole night sky would blaze as bright as the Sun. This is Olbers' paradox.

The resolution: the universe has a finite age and is expanding. Light from the most distant stars either hasn't reached us yet, or has been redshifted out of the visible range.

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