Light can theoretically zip around the universe forever without breaking down. That's because it's long been believed that the photon — the elementary particle that makes up light and other electromagnetic radiation — has no mass. But physicist Julian Heeck wondered what would happen if it turned out that photons did have mass, and it seems that they'd still stick around for a long time: Heeck calculated that, with mass, a photon would live for at least 1 quintillion (or, a billion billion) years before breaking down.
via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/30/4570876/minimum-lifespan-photons-one-quitillion-years
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