Relativistic Travel, Perception and Light Constancy

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of time dilation during a space voyage to a star system 1,000 light years away. The observer on Earth would see 1,001.936 years pass while the traveler would experience only 13.452 years. Upon arrival, the traveler would see events from 1,000 years ago, but would witness 2,001.936 years of development relative to a picture taken before departure. If the traveler were to immediately return to Earth, a total of 2,003.872 years would have elapsed, despite the traveler experiencing a shorter amount of time. The summary also acknowledges the potential for flaws in the reasoning and assumptions made during the conversation.
  • #1
Camel_City
2
0
Suppose you were to board a ship on Earth departing for a star system 1,000 light years away. You accelerate at 1g for the first 500ly, then decelerate at 1g for the second 500ly. Observer on Earth will claim 1,001.936 have passed during your voyage, whereas you will have experienced 13.452 years within your reference frame (assuming this is correct). Destination also provides a inertial reference frame? Destination may claim 1,001.963 years have transpired since your departure.
Here is the question:
if you arrive at your destination and immediately gaze back at the Earth in your super-telescope, what do you see?
I would guess that, as your journey has not affected the passage of light reflected by the Earth to the destination, that you would be viewing events from precisely 1,000 years ago, i.e. 1.936 years after you left Earth, despite your having experienced more than 13 years of travel time. Also, had you observed your destination immediately before departure and took a picture, that picture would represent a state 1,000 years in that place's past. Now, upon arriving there, I would assume you are witnessing 2,001.936 years of development relative to that picture.
If you were to immediately turn around and go back to Earth via the same process, would you not return to find that a total of 2,003.872 years had elapsed in your absence which, by your reckoning amounted to 26.9 years.
Mainly I am curious as to whether my intuition about looking back at Earth upon landing is correct, though I admit my reasoning may be vulnerable to any number of flaws pertaining to any number of points here mentioned.
Pleas someone correct any mistaken assumptions which may have been expressed here.
Thanks.
 
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  • #2
Hi, Camel_City, and welcome to PF!

Camel_City said:
I would guess that, as your journey has not affected the passage of light reflected by the Earth to the destination, that you would be viewing events from precisely 1,000 years ago, i.e. 1.936 years after you left Earth, despite your having experienced more than 13 years of travel time.

Correct.

Camel_City said:
Also, had you observed your destination immediately before departure and took a picture, that picture would represent a state 1,000 years in that place's past.

Correct.

Camel_City said:
Now, upon arriving there, I would assume you are witnessing 2,001.936 years of development relative to that picture.

Correct.

Camel_City said:
If you were to immediately turn around and go back to Earth via the same process, would you not return to find that a total of 2,003.872 years had elapsed in your absence which, by your reckoning amounted to 26.9 years.

Yes.

Camel_City said:
my reasoning may be vulnerable to any number of flaws pertaining to any number of points here mentioned.

Nope, you got it all right. :smile:
 
  • #3
Thank You

Thanks very much for the reply. I really appreciate it!
 

1. What is relativistic travel?

Relativistic travel is the movement of an object at speeds close to the speed of light, which causes the effects of special relativity to become significant.

2. How does relativistic travel affect perception?

Relativistic travel can cause time dilation and length contraction, which can alter the perception of time and distance for both the traveler and an outside observer.

3. Why is light constancy important in relativistic travel?

Light constancy, also known as the principle of the constancy of the speed of light, is important in relativistic travel because it is a fundamental principle of special relativity and helps to explain the effects of time dilation and length contraction.

4. Can anything travel faster than the speed of light?

According to current scientific understanding, no. The speed of light is considered to be the maximum limit for the velocity of any object in the universe.

5. How does light travel in a vacuum compared to other mediums?

In a vacuum, light travels at its maximum speed of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. In other mediums, such as air or water, the speed of light is slightly slower due to interactions with the particles in the medium.

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