I apologize for any confusion caused by my previous response. Let me clarify.
Light, specifically electromagnetic radiation, does not require a medium to propagate. This is a fundamental characteristic of electromagnetic waves. Unlike mechanical waves, such as sound waves or water waves, electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum, such as outer space, where there is no material medium.
The misconception that waves need a medium to propagate is based on our everyday observations of mechanical waves, which indeed require a material medium to transfer energy. For example, sound waves require air, water waves require water, and seismic waves require solid Earth. In these cases, the waves propagate by transferring energy from one particle to another in the medium.
However, electromagnetic waves, including light, are not mechanical waves. They are a combination of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. These fields can exist and propagate through a vacuum without the need for a material medium.
This understanding is based on Maxwell's equations, which describe the behavior of electromagnetic fields. These equations show that changing electric fields create magnetic fields, and changing magnetic fields create electric fields. This self-sustaining process allows electromagnetic waves to propagate through space, regardless of whether there is a material medium present.
So, to summarize, light can travel through a vacuum because it is an electromagnetic wave, and electromagnetic waves do not require a material medium for propagation.