Why Is It That Astronomers Will NOT See Fluctuations in Light

question 1

Multiple Choice

Why is it that astronomers will NOT see fluctuations in light output in times shorter than about 1 day when they observe an extragalactic source whose diameter is about 1 light-day?

• A) Absorption of light by intergalactic matter will smooth out rapid fluctuations within the beam.
• B) The light from different parts of the source will be Doppler-shifted by different amounts, allowing observers to see only an average shift.
• C) It is inconceivable that a source of this size could vary on such short time scales.
• D) Arrival times will be different from different parts of the source, which will smooth out short-term fluctuations.

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