Special Relativity Time Travel to Future - Could You Watch the News on Earth?

In summary, if you are traveling away from Earth on a spaceship near the speed of light, the moving clocks on the ship will run slower relative to stationary clocks on Earth. However, the clocks on Earth will also appear to run slower to those on the ship. This means that if the ship were heading towards Earth, one could potentially watch events on Earth progress at a much faster pace than normal.
  • #1
edgepflow
688
1
If you are traveling away from Earth on a spaceship near the speed of light, it is well known that the moving clocks on the ship run slower relative to stationary clocks on earth.

I was wondering if while on the space ship, you could watch the news on TV and see events progress at a fantastically accelerated pace?
 
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  • #2
No, but you could do so if your ship were heading towards earth.
 
  • #3
edgepflow said:
If you are traveling away from Earth on a spaceship near the speed of light, it is well known that the moving clocks on the ship run slower relative to stationary clocks on earth.
And relative to the clocks on the ship, the Earth clocks run slow.
 

What is special relativity?

Special relativity is a theory developed by Albert Einstein in 1905 that describes the relationship between space and time. It states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion and that the speed of light is constant for all observers.

How does special relativity relate to time travel to the future?

Special relativity predicts that time is not absolute and can be affected by factors such as speed and gravity. As an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down for that object relative to an observer. This means that an object moving at near-light speeds can experience time dilation, allowing it to travel into the future at a faster rate than objects at rest.

Is it possible to travel to the future using special relativity?

Yes, it is theoretically possible to travel to the future using special relativity. However, the amount of time travel would be limited and would require an immense amount of energy to reach near-light speeds. It would also only allow for travel to the future, not the past.

Could you watch the news on Earth while time traveling to the future?

No, this would not be possible as special relativity also predicts that as an object approaches the speed of light, it experiences length contraction. This means that distances appear shorter to the object in motion, making it impossible to see events happening on Earth in real-time.

Are there any real-life examples of special relativity time travel to the future?

Yes, there are real-life examples of time dilation due to special relativity. For example, astronauts who have traveled in space at high speeds have aged slightly slower than their counterparts on Earth. However, the amount of time difference is minuscule and not noticeable in day-to-day life.

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