Why Light Beams Don't Go On Forever

👽 If aliens showed up tomorrow, would we be ready? 👀 Pre-order Take Me to Your Leader here 👇 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Take-Me-to-Your-Leader/Neil-deGrasse-Tyson/9781668249970 Why does the light of a searchlight seem to stop? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down how sci-fi gets lasers wrong, the “Butter Gun Experiment,” and the inverse square law of light. Timestamps: 00:00 - Searchlights 00:52 - Where Does the Light Stop? 02:48 - Why Can You See the Light in the First Place? 04:45 - Inverse Square Law of Light 07:17 - Looking at a Column form the Side 09:23 - A Message About Aliens Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson