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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-solar-neutrinos-escape

How long do neutrinos made in the Sun's core take to escape the Sun?

About two seconds, because they barely interact with matter.

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  1. About two seconds ✔
  2. About 8 minutes
  3. Over 100,000 years

Why: Neutrinos travel at nearly light speed and pass through matter almost untouched. So they leave the core in about two seconds, carrying news of fusion happening right now, unlike photons that take ages.

Huh, didn't know that: Neutrinos were predicted by Wolfgang Pauli but not detected until 1956.

The dad joke
A neutrino walks through a wall. It didn't notice a thing.
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References

Answer: About two seconds. Neutrinos travel at nearly light speed and pass through matter almost untouched. So they leave the core in about two seconds, carrying news of fusion happening right now, unlike photons that take ages.

  1. Astronomy 2e, 16.2 Mass, Energy, and the Theory of Relativity openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/16-2-mass-energy-and-the-theory-of-relativity
    Neutrinos move at nearly the speed of light, and they escape the Sun about two seconds after they are created.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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