Understanding the Inverse Square Law
The brightness of light (or any radiation) follows the inverse square law. This means:
* If you double the distance from a light source, the brightness decreases by a factor of four (2 squared).
* If you triple the distance, the brightness decreases by a factor of nine (3 squared).
Applying the Law
* The Sun is currently 93 million miles from Earth.
* If we move the Sun four times farther away, it would be 372 million miles away.
This means the Sun would be four times farther away, so the brightness would decrease by a factor of 16 (4 squared).
Conclusion
The Sun would appear 16 times dimmer to an observer on Earth if it were four times farther away.
