"Someone is lying" – User questions why space is dark despite the sun, internet roasts: "Bro, you need to stay in school"

Social media users excel at raising questions that challenge your belief system regarding human intelligence. The questions you find on social media range from contemplative to humorous but they eventually force you to grab your diploma to confirm the existence of education.

Example: an X (formerly Twitter) user decided to shake the very foundations of astrophysics with this trailblazing question—

"How tf outer space dark but the sun up there, i swear someone is lying."

NASA, someone's onto you.

Now, while we would like to think that this is just some satirical look at the mysteries of the universe, the sincerity drips off of this post and suggests otherwise.

For those playing along at home, space looks dark, even though the Sun is out there because the near-vacuum conditions don't allow light to scatter the way it does in Earth's atmosphere.

This also has something to do with Olbers' paradox, a grandiloquent way of asking why, with all the stars in the universe, the night sky isn't just one big LED panel.

But let's stop there. While we agree that’s a genuine question, should that be coming from an adult? An adult who, presumably, has spent some time in school? An adult who, at some point in life, has seen a flashlight in a dark room?

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What other users think (if at all)

One X user kept it simple:

"bro you need to stay in school."

Another user added:

"This is why we need the Department of Education even more now."

A user humorously suggested:

"I know where this thought came from."

A user hilariously suggested:

"you should go up there and check for us."

A user commented:

"I still don’t know why NASA won’t just send someone to the Sun at night when it’s off."

Another user stated:

"Lol I don't even believe in space anymore and I'm here asking you to think bigger.....if you made it here lmao sheesh."

Probably trying to get a point through, a user asked:

"Why is your lamp in your apartment not lighting up my bedroom? 🤦🏾‍♂️"

Meanwhile, this user believes:

"Also when the astronauts are in space suddenly there are no stars, they just disappear 😭😭😭 space is so fake."

Yet another user had this to say:

"I don't know how it's not always daylight if the earth is flat.. who's turning off the lights 🤔"

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The much-needed explanation

Scientists have wrestled with Olbers' paradox since ancient times because it presents a straightforward mystery. Why does an infinitely large universe with stars produce night skies that remain dark rather than radiating blinding starlight?

Several theories have been tossed around:

Interstellar absorption: Maybe cosmic dust blocks the light? Nope. That dust would eventually heat up and start glowing itself, making the sky brighter, not darker.

Expanding universe: The expanding nature of the universe causes distant galaxies to transmit their light as infrared and radio waves which our vision cannot detect.

Age of the universe: Our current understanding suggests that the premature state of the Universe prevents the arrival of distant stellar radiation.

And then there's Earth's atmosphere. Down here, light scatters and gives us our lovely blue sky. Up in space, there’s no air, no scattering—just vast darkness.

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Can astronauts see stars in space?

(Image via Pinterest/ User_odanepnn)

Short answer: Yes, but it depends.

Since there's no atmospheric scattering, stars remain visible even when facing the Sun—technically. However, the intensity of sunlight is still a factor.

On Neptune or Pluto, you’d need a flashlight to read a book.

Space isn’t entirely pitch black either; it’s lit by cosmic microwave background radiation—ancient light left over from the Big Bang.

Spaceships? Whether they’re visible depends on how reflective they are and whether someone’s got a telescope handy.

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Space is even darker than we thought

The New Horizons spacecraft, so far away it's actually beyond Pluto, has made some pretty revealing measurements. Turns out the sky out there is ten times darker than what even the Hubble Space Telescope can capture.

So if you were hoping for some intergalactic mood lighting—sorry, it’s not possible.

So, to our confused internet philosopher: No one's lying to you, buddy. Space is dark, the Sun is bright, and physics is still doing its thing.

But if you're questioning everything, maybe double-check that flashlight theory.