Can galaxies recede from us at velocities greater than c?

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In summary: This does not violate the law of special relativity because in a GR cosmological model, distant objects are receding from any observer, but doing so in free-fall, so they are not actually accelerating. This allows for the possibility of objects receding at speeds greater than C without violating special relativity. In summary, galaxies can recede from us at speeds greater than C if we adopt a GR cosmological model where distant objects are receding from any observer in free-fall. This does not violate the law of special relativity because these objects are not actually accelerating, allowing for the possibility of receding at speeds greater than C.
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aachenmann
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Can galaxies recede from us at velocities greater than c?
If yes, don't they violate the law of special relativity?
 
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If you adopt a cosmoloy where distant things are receeding from any observer, but doing so in free-fall, the answers are 'yes' and 'no'.

Because of the 'yes', there will be an event horizon at a certain distance from the observer.
Because the receeding matter is in free-fall, thus not being accelerated, relativity is not compromised. There is a GR cosmological model which predicts this.

Check it out here -

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker_metric
 
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  • #3
Mentz114 said:
If you adopt a cosmoloy where distant things are receeding from any observer, but doing so in free-fall, the answers are 'yes' and 'no'.

Because of the 'yes', there will be an event horizon at a certain distance from the observer.
because the receeding matter in free-fall, thus not being accelerated, relativity is not compromised. There is a GR cosmological model which in fact predicts this.
Special relativity does not apply since such spacetimes are not flat. Also in flat spacetimes with a cosmological constant the equations from special relativity no longer apply.
 
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  • #4
aachenmann said:
Can galaxies recede from us at velocities greater than c?
If yes, don't they violate the law of special relativity?

Galaxies themselves probably aren't receding from us, but it is space itself that is expanding, thus the galaxies get farther away from us.

So, yes, in theory a galaxy could "recede" from us at speeds greater than C, because it is space itself that is expanding, i.e. the galaxies are NOT actually moving through space at the speeds we perceive them to be.
 

1. How can galaxies recede from us at velocities greater than c?

The concept of galaxies receding from us at velocities greater than the speed of light, or c, is based on the theory of general relativity. According to this theory, the fabric of space can expand faster than the speed of light, allowing galaxies to move away from each other at velocities greater than c. This expansion of space is not limited by the speed of light, as it is not an object moving through space, but rather the space itself expanding.

2. Does this mean that objects within the galaxy are also moving faster than c?

No, the expansion of space itself does not affect the movement of objects within a galaxy. The speed of light still remains the universal speed limit for objects moving through space. However, the expanding space can cause the distance between objects to increase at a rate faster than the speed of light, giving the illusion that the objects themselves are moving faster than c.

3. Can we observe galaxies receding from us at velocities greater than c?

Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that galaxies are receding from us at velocities greater than c. In fact, due to the limitations of our technology and the vast distances of space, we can only observe galaxies receding from us at velocities within the range of c. However, it is possible that in the future, as our technology advances, we may be able to observe galaxies moving away from us at greater speeds.

4. Is the expansion of space accelerating?

Yes, according to observations and measurements, the expansion of space is accelerating. This means that galaxies are moving away from each other at faster and faster rates over time. This phenomenon is often referred to as "cosmic acceleration" and is believed to be caused by a mysterious force called dark energy.

5. Will this expansion of space eventually cause galaxies to disappear from our view?

No, the expansion of space will not cause galaxies to disappear from our view. While the distance between galaxies may continue to increase, they will still remain visible to us. However, due to the expansion of space, the light from these galaxies will be redshifted, making them appear to be moving away from us at very high velocities. This effect is known as cosmological redshift.

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