Olbers' paradox

[ ohl-berz ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. the paradox that if the universe consisted of an infinite number of stars equally distributed through space, then every line of sight would come from a star and the night sky would glow uniformly, which is observationally not true.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Olbers' paradox¹

First recorded in 1950–55; after H.W.M. Olbers

Example Sentences

People have been asking why space is dark despite being filled with stars for so long that this question has a special name – Olbers’ paradox.

From Scientific American

I finally get the answer to the classic astronomy riddle known as Olbers’ Paradox.

From Scientific American

Let’s take a moment to consider everyone’s favorite null result: Olbers’ paradox.

From Scientific American

But there is a precedent of sorts in an old riddle known as Olbers’ Paradox, after Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, a 19th-century amateur astronomer who enunciated a problem that had bothered some astronomers since the 16th century: Why is the sky dark at night?

From New York Times