Light has mass, and it travels at the Speed of light, so a massless object .

In summary, light has mass, and it travels at the speed of light, so a massless object could (theoretically) "ride" on a light beam.
  • #1
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Light has mass, and it travels at the Speed of light, so a massless object...

I'm new to this entire field, and I know I'm probably wrong, and someone has already debunked this years ago, and if so, please either 1. correct me or 2.Add something.

Since Photons have mass and when they comein contact with another object actually push on that object, a massless object could (theoretically) "ride" on a light beam. IF you could fuse light with the massless object (like what happens inside the sun for example) and acceralated the light (by accerating the massless object, with is fused with the light) you could (theoretically) make the light travel faster than light. Much faster. Maybe millions times faster.

Something else I thought of. I know everyone here knows that when you look at a star you see the star (or how it looked) maybe millions of years ago. Same with the sun (8 mins ago) and the Moon (3 secs ago) etc. The light travels to slow for us to see said object in 'real time' ,but if you sped up the light (see paragraph 1) would you then see the object in real time? And, let's say you had a probe or whatnot on this massless object riding the light beam, and you set off and millions of times faster than light, and your destination is where the Earth was say 45 years ago on this day, would you arrive on the Earth 45 years ago? Einstein said time and space were connected so since all space (we think) exist right now, all time must exist right now, which means next week is happeneing right now ,and 45 years ago etc.

Like I said, I'm probably 100% wrong, and if so, please feel free.
 
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  • #2


Unfortunately, photons have no rest mass, so that opening 'since' doesn't work. They do have momentum though, and that's how they can exert a force on other things. But that doesn't mean they have mass.

You can't speed up light either, unfortunately. And there's no way we can travel faster than light, or build a probe that would. And though time and space may be connected, it doesn't follow that all time must exist right now.

Though I do agree it does often feel as if I'm stuck in a recurring loop.
 
  • #3


Now that's been answered, anything else would just be speculation.
 

1. Does light have mass?

Yes, light has a very small amount of mass, but it is not noticeable in everyday life. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, energy and mass are equivalent, so even though light has no rest mass, it still has a tiny amount of mass due to its energy.

2. How can light have mass if it travels at the speed of light?

Light has a constant speed of approximately 299,792,458 meters per second, which is the speed of light in a vacuum. This speed is the maximum possible speed for any object in the universe, regardless of its mass. So even though light has mass, it can still travel at the speed of light.

3. Is light the only massless object in the universe?

No, there are other massless particles in the universe, such as gluons and gravitons. However, light is the only massless particle that we can directly observe and interact with, making it the most well-known massless object.

4. How does the mass of light affect its behavior?

The mass of light affects its behavior in several ways. One example is the bending of light around massive objects, known as gravitational lensing. This is because light is affected by the gravitational force of the massive object, and its small mass contributes to this interaction. Additionally, the mass of light also affects its wavelength and frequency, leading to phenomena such as the Doppler effect.

5. Can light ever slow down?

In a vacuum, light always travels at the speed of light. However, light can be slowed down when it passes through a medium, such as air or water, due to interactions with the atoms and molecules in the medium. This is why light appears to bend or slow down when passing through a different medium, as seen in a rainbow or a glass prism.

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