We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

170​,​000 Years and Eight Minutes

from Star Stuff by Chris Harris

/

about

And a tip of the hat here to Professor Lucie Green, who explains in her book "15 Million Degrees" that it takes a photon of light, created by a fusion reaction in the heart of our sun, an incredible 170,000 years to travel the 697,000 kilometres to the surface.

Once it's escaped from the sun, it travels the remaining 149,598,000 kilometres to Earth in around eight minutes.

lyrics

Born in fire
as hydrogen burns
Going lower or higher,
don't know which way to turn
1700 centuries
to escape from the Sun
now, eight minutes later
your trip to Earth is done

Bathing in a furnace
of intense heat and light
Not at all surprising
that you need to shine so bright

Pity the poor photon
Understand its plight
A hundred and seventy thousand years
Successful overnight
The struggle, sad to say,
is just the same as yours and mine
Trying to find a way
where we've a chance to get to shine

All that time
Coming and going
For suce a crime
of a momentary showing
Yet each neutrino
And trillions more
gets here with ease
and is totally ignored...

credits

from Star Stuff, released July 3, 2022

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Chris Harris image

Chris Harris Bristol, UK

I'm still trying to get the music I record to sound like the version I can hear in my head. To do this I've ended up playing every instrument I can get my hands on. These days, I'm closer to "That Sound" than I used to be, but the journey continues.

live events

contact / help

Contact Chris Harris

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Chris Harris, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featuring Riley Pinkerton (aka The Rat Queen) from the theatrical NYC rockers, Castle Rat.
listen now