JawD 99 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Ok, hypothetical discussion. If you are on a planet looking at the monument in Newcastle with a really good telescope and you are 10 light years away, you see the monument as it was 10 years ago. People moving around and so on. Now, if you then move towards the earth at a relative pace you are getting closer and so light travels between you quicker. If it takes you 1 year to get 9 light years away in theory you now see the earth as it was 9 years ago, but 1 year passed so that should have been 11 years ago on Earth but as you are closer would that still be 10 years even though you are 9 light years away? Or, as you are now 9 light years away does that mean that you caught up in time. If that is the case, which I think it is, what happens to the view you are looking at? Do the people move around really fast like you are pressing fast forward? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 41371 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Have you taken the lens cap off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Speed x Time = Distance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesperateDannyB 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 When you arrive it still resembles 1995. *Stevie's haircut* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax_andy 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Ok, hypothetical discussion. If you are on a planet looking at the monument in Newcastle with a really good telescope and you are 10 light years away, you see the monument as it was 10 years ago. People moving around and so on. Now, if you then move towards the earth at a relative pace you are getting closer and so light travels between you quicker. If it takes you 1 year to get 9 light years away in theory you now see the earth as it was 9 years ago, but 1 year passed so that should have been 11 years ago on Earth but as you are closer would that still be 10 years even though you are 9 light years away? Or, as you are now 9 light years away does that mean that you caught up in time. If that is the case, which I think it is, what happens to the view you are looking at? Do the people move around really fast like you are pressing fast forward? I see what you're say I think... If you were to travel at the speed of light it would still take you 10 years to arrive at the monument... so if you set off in 2010, you'd arrive in 2020. However as time passes on earth it also passes in your own reality too... so as you travel time will travel with you. So once 9 years away not only will you be a year closer, you'll also be a year further away from your point of departure... therefore you will "maintain" the original arrival date of 2020. Travelling at the speed of light over a period of light years will always allow you to maintain that original arrival date of x number of light years. However the real "interesting" thought would be... what if you could travel faster than the speed of light... maybe even bend time and space to the point where you could travel those 10 light years instantly. How could you plan a journey of that length when using even the most amazingly powerful telescope may take a snapshot of this destination of 10 years prior (considering it possible to view distances at the speed of light). Potentially you could warp there and the planet has disappeared, or you're now on the edge of a black hole caused by a collapsed star. I wonder if scientists have ever considered this when looking in to the theory of bending space and time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JawD 99 Posted January 26, 2011 Author Share Posted January 26, 2011 But, as you approach the object (Earth in this case), and if you could clearly see the object you were approaching through a telescope, what would you see? If you were going faster than light for example so you are "catching up" from your previous image of the place, does your image move "faster" as you receive light quicker than initially? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Ok, hypothetical discussion. If you are on a planet looking at the monument in Newcastle with a really good telescope and you are 10 light years away, you see the monument as it was 10 years ago. People moving around and so on. Now, if you then move towards the earth at a relative pace you are getting closer and so light travels between you quicker. If it takes you 1 year to get 9 light years away in theory you now see the earth as it was 9 years ago, but 1 year passed so that should have been 11 years ago on Earth but as you are closer would that still be 10 years even though you are 9 light years away? Or, as you are now 9 light years away does that mean that you caught up in time. If that is the case, which I think it is, what happens to the view you are looking at? Do the people move around really fast like you are pressing fast forward? As you move closer to the speed of light, time for the traveller slows down relative to the destination. Next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgentAxeman 166 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 But, as you approach the object (Earth in this case), and if you could clearly see the object you were approaching through a telescope, what would you see? If you were going faster than light for example so you are "catching up" from your previous image of the place, does your image move "faster" as you receive light quicker than initially? yes, due to relative time for yourself moving slower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 41371 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 No matter how fast you could theoretically travel, if your destination was in SR1 you'd always be 10 years behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax_andy 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 But, as you approach the object (Earth in this case), and if you could clearly see the object you were approaching through a telescope, what would you see? If you were going faster than light for example so you are "catching up" from your previous image of the place, does your image move "faster" as you receive light quicker than initially? Is it possible to view something x number of light years away if you are travelling at the speed of light? Wouldn't the sheer speed which you were travelling distort any image so much that it would be impossible to see anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonraider 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 oooh stop This kind of thing does my head in, I know I shouldnt have read it cos thoughts like this get stuck in my head all day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax_andy 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 But, as you approach the object (Earth in this case), and if you could clearly see the object you were approaching through a telescope, what would you see? If you were going faster than light for example so you are "catching up" from your previous image of the place, does your image move "faster" as you receive light quicker than initially? Is it possible to view something x number of light years away if you are travelling at the speed of light? Wouldn't the sheer speed which you were travelling distort any image so much that it would be impossible to see anything? Also if you travelled faster than the speed of light you'd be able to turn around and watch yourself arrive (I think thats right)... trippy or what! You'd also age much slower over 10 years than you would have if you'd stayed on your own planet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax_andy 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 oooh stop This kind of thing does my head in, I know I shouldnt have read it cos thoughts like this get stuck in my head all day Haha its fine... just remember that "time" doesnt even exist. There is no such thing as "time" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lahey 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 What would happen to your body travelling at the speed of light? You'd probably shit yourself at the very least I'd imagine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonraider 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 oooh stop This kind of thing does my head in, I know I shouldnt have read it cos thoughts like this get stuck in my head all day Haha its fine... just remember that "time" doesnt even exist. There is no such thing as "time" Yes time is only relevant to us. Oh god now that song from Pink Floyd is in my head!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax_andy 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 What would happen to your body travelling at the speed of light? You'd probably shit yourself at the very least I'd imagine To travel at the speed of light you'd need some sort of ship that was in some sort of "bubble" where the laws of physics didnt apply... thus protecting your body from the forces of gravity etc. I'm pretty sure this has been proposed as being (in theory) possible by scientists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 6 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 But, as you approach the object (Earth in this case), and if you could clearly see the object you were approaching through a telescope, what would you see? If you were going faster than light for example so you are "catching up" from your previous image of the place, does your image move "faster" as you receive light quicker than initially? Is it possible to view something x number of light years away if you are travelling at the speed of light? Wouldn't the sheer speed which you were travelling distort any image so much that it would be impossible to see anything? We dont see images, but process light reflecting off objects, this information travels to us at the speed of light. So you would have to travel faster than the speed of light to distort a relative position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax_andy 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 But, as you approach the object (Earth in this case), and if you could clearly see the object you were approaching through a telescope, what would you see? If you were going faster than light for example so you are "catching up" from your previous image of the place, does your image move "faster" as you receive light quicker than initially? Is it possible to view something x number of light years away if you are travelling at the speed of light? Wouldn't the sheer speed which you were travelling distort any image so much that it would be impossible to see anything? We dont see images, but process light reflecting off objects, this information travels to us at the speed of light. So you would have to travel faster than the speed of light to distort a relative position. Ahh ok I didnt know that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonraider 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Phil you sound very knowledgeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 6 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Ok, hypothetical discussion. If you are on a planet looking at the monument in Newcastle with a really good telescope and you are 10 light years away, you see the monument as it was 10 years ago. People moving around and so on. Now, if you then move towards the earth at a relative pace you are getting closer and so light travels between you quicker. If it takes you 1 year to get 9 light years away in theory you now see the earth as it was 9 years ago, but 1 year passed so that should have been 11 years ago on Earth but as you are closer would that still be 10 years even though you are 9 light years away? Or, as you are now 9 light years away does that mean that you caught up in time. If that is the case, which I think it is, what happens to the view you are looking at? Do the people move around really fast like you are pressing fast forward? That's some hypothetical telescope. Light year is a measurement in itself. So if you are 9 light years away you'd see light that bounced off The Monument 9 years ago. As Parky says travelling fast changes relative time, so what you would see would be 9 years old, just not relative to your original time frame, as time becomes a variable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 6 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Phil you sound very knowledgeable. Lol nah, I used to share a very long car trip once a week to reading with a guy who was into quantum physics. Each trip he'd come up with a scenario similar to this. It was his idea of fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonraider 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Phil you sound very knowledgeable. Lol nah, I used to share a very long car trip once a week to reading with a guy who was into quantum physics. Each trip he'd come up with a scenario similar to this. It was his idea of fun Ahh well its better than discussing the weather or NUFC I suppose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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