What would we see at the speed of light?

Robert W

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Sep 9, 2022
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If science actually interests you, this can reach you, but not at the speed of light.
This video examines what will happen as the spacecraft you are in gets closer and closer to reaching the speed of light. Experts in this field are welcome to explain more.
 
Everyone already knows ... we will see the back of a Wookie's head.

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If science actually interests you, this can reach you, but not at the speed of light.
This video examines what will happen as the spacecraft you are in gets closer and closer to reaching the speed of light. Experts in this field are welcome to explain more.

#### What You Would See at the Speed of Light

If it were possible to travel at the speed of light, there are a few things you would observe:

1. Time Freeze: According to the theory of special relativity, time dilation occurs as an object approaches the speed of light. From an external observer's perspective, the internal structure of your body would freeze, and no information could be sent about it. Additionally, your body's size would appear pointlike to an observer due to length contraction.

2. 4th Dimensional View: As a traveler moving at the speed of light, you would see the entire timeline of the universe all at once. You would perceive the beginning of the universe, the end, and everything in between as snapshots. It would be like a 3D viewer seeing every bit of a 2D plane at once, but in this case, you would see every bit of the 3D world without any obstacles.

3. Observing the Past: If you were far enough away from Earth, you could observe events from the past. This is because light takes time to travel, so when you see something happening, you are actually seeing it as it was in the past. For example, if you had a mirror placed strategically 13.5 light-years away, you could see yourself being born. lol. :)

Traveling at the speed of light is currently not possible for objects with mass, according to our current understanding of physics. These observations are based on hypothetical scenarios and the principles of special relativity.

Sources :

1. Would time freeze if you could travel at the speed of light?

2. If you view the Earth from far enough away can you observe its past?

3. I am driving my car at the speed of light and I turn on my headlights. What do I see?
 
#### What You Would See at the Speed of Light

If it were possible to travel at the speed of light, there are a few things you would observe:

1. Time Freeze: According to the theory of special relativity, time dilation occurs as an object approaches the speed of light. From an external observer's perspective, the internal structure of your body would freeze, and no information could be sent about it. Additionally, your body's size would appear pointlike to an observer due to length contraction.

2. 4th Dimensional View: As a traveler moving at the speed of light, you would see the entire timeline of the universe all at once. You would perceive the beginning of the universe, the end, and everything in between as snapshots. It would be like a 3D viewer seeing every bit of a 2D plane at once, but in this case, you would see every bit of the 3D world without any obstacles.

3. Observing the Past: If you were far enough away from Earth, you could observe events from the past. This is because light takes time to travel, so when you see something happening, you are actually seeing it as it was in the past. For example, if you had a mirror placed strategically 13.5 light-years away, you could see yourself being born. lol. :)

Traveling at the speed of light is currently not possible for objects with mass, according to our current understanding of physics. These observations are based on hypothetical scenarios and the principles of special relativity.

Sources :

1. Would time freeze if you could travel at the speed of light?

2. If you view the Earth from far enough away can you observe its past?

3. I am driving my car at the speed of light and I turn on my headlights. What do I see?
Thanks for summarizing the video I presented here and above your commentary.
 
If science actually interests you, this can reach you, but not at the speed of light.
This video examines what will happen as the spacecraft you are in gets closer and closer to reaching the speed of light. Experts in this field are welcome to explain more.

Nothing. You also would not experience time.
 
Nothing. You also would not experience time.
This is a roadblock about science. Why? Because we call time the movement of planet Earth as it makes a path around the sun. So by not experiencing time, I suppose it puts a stop to using the earth movement around the Sun as our time scale.
Time in other terms is just movement of earth.

If the same planet was around a much larger sun and the time to move around it doubled, then time would be measured using that sun as a basis.
 
Nothing. You also would not experience time.
I’ve always wondered…why does one’s speed have an effect on one’s time? I mean, time still exists at the speed of light, right? Is it that you wouldn’t experience time, or your perception would not sense time? If that makes any sense.
 
Time does not pass for things moving at the speed of light. As I understand it.
So it’s all relative to whatever it is moving at the speed of light, correct? I mean, things moving at the speed of light still experiece time, at least from our perspective. However, time affects everything. I mean, let’s say you could move at the speed of light. It you took a journey from the sun to the earth, it would take you about 8 minutes. Now, that’s time, and even at the speed of light, wouldn’t you experience that time? Certainly, you should experience 8 minutes, wouldn’t you?

Consider light years. If you journeyed 20 light years at the speed of light, would you not age 20 years? You’d just be REALLY far away, no?
 
Nope.

It would take 8 minutes for us to observe the endpoints of your journey.

To you, the trip would be instantaneous.
Ok, now my mind is blown. How does that work? WE see that light takes 8 minutes to make the journey, so how would it be instantaneous for the one making the journey? How can light take 8 minutes AND be instantaneous at the same time?
 
My next question to the OP question is…what would you see if you could travel faster than the speed of light?
 
How does that work?
It's infinite time contraction.

The more you accelerate to the speed of light, the more the slows for you, relative to someone in the rest frame. This is based on the fraction of the speed of light you accelerate to.

If you accelerate to 100% the speed of light, time is infinitely contracted for you, so to speak.
 
It's infinite time contraction.

The more you accelerate to the speed of light, the more the slows for you, relative to someone in the rest frame. This is based on the fraction of the speed of light you accelerate to.

If you accelerate to 100% the speed of light, time is infinitely contracted for you, so to speak.
This will cause your whistle to come a running all rootin and tootin.
Time is not relative to speed of anything. Time is a function of motion.
 
It's infinite time contraction.

The more you accelerate to the speed of light, the more the slows for you, relative to someone in the rest frame. This is based on the fraction of the speed of light you accelerate to.

If you accelerate to 100% the speed of light, time is infinitely contracted for you, so to speak.

Ok… now then…if you could travel at the speed of light…for a year…what would life be like? If time stops for you, would you even be able to know how long you’ve been traveling that fast? If time stops for you, youd have no concept of the length of time you’ve been moving at that speed right? It’s almost like, you’d be stuck there because once you got there, you might say “ok, I’m going to go this fast for 10 minutes”, but your concept of time is gone…and you’d just be there for an eternity?


Interesting concept…
 

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