So I was staring at my carrot today as I usually do and I had a weird itch in my eye lid (the left one) and then I thought of this brilliant idea, to send a mirror hurled through space so we can observe the mirror (through a telescope) and see us back on earth. Now if the mirror is a light year away then (theoretically speaking) we should be looking at us back in time?
So I have already sent a thesis of this to NASA as well as a few other well known cosmological businesses. however I am still yet to hear from them I still have a great feeling about project. I have drawn up a scientific diagram for you guys to peruse and to give me feedback.
Cheers
[IMG]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/50789691/Untitledhrtr.png[/IMG]
That's a pretty neat idea, but I don't really see how it's any difference to filming someone and then watching it back on TV?
it'd have to be a pretty big mirror, could someone do some science to affirm how impractical and useless this is
also if you're saying that looking at that hypothetical mirror means looking back to before the rocket was launched then you're a massive idiot
[QUOTE=Lhuth;35133314]That's a pretty neat idea, but I don't really see how it's any difference to filming someone and then watching it back on TV?[/QUOTE]
We would be able to see what happen before TV it would give us a new perspective on life and our history.
If it works we could even get a cosmological CCTV camera in the works now THAT would be neat.
Not new at all. In fact you never see the present.
You wouldn't be able to see any point in time before the mirror left earth at best, since it can't travel faster than light. To see light from before it was launched it would have to go faster than the speed of light and outrun the photons coming off the earth.
Also it'd be impossible to see the reflections off it, earth would be far too small.
Or, you know, we could send up a satellite, have a video camera on it, use it to record then play it back a year later.
If you sent it 1 lightyear away, assuming you power the rocket all the way (impractical) then you'd only reallyafter you launched the mirror. It's not like you could use it to see far back in the past.
[editline]14th March 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Mettrone;35133331]We would be able to see what happen before TV it would give us a new perspective on life and our history.
If it works we could even get a cosmological CCTV camera in the works now THAT would be neat.[/QUOTE]
No you wouldn't, being a light year away doesn't mean it magically captures things that happened before it was even launched.
There is a mirror on the surface of the moon already I think. Something makes me think you would see some trippy shit on the mirror if its 1 light year away.
[QUOTE=Buck.;35133359]There is a mirror on the surface of the moon already I think. Something makes me think you would see some trippy shit on the mirror if its 1 light year away.[/QUOTE]
If it was 1 light year away and then you looked at it, all you'd possibly see is the earth a year ago. Not even clearly since, you know, the earth only reflects light, it doesn't make it.
[QUOTE=Lolkork;35133437][url]http://trollscience.com/image/f/full/762c23ef8645375b4ada8194d334f316.jpg[/url]
Very original idea.[/QUOTE]
If you will notice the title, thanks
[QUOTE=Mettrone;35133299]
So I have already sent a thesis of this to NASA as well as a few other well known cosmological businesses.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Mettrone;35133299]however I am still yet to hear from them[/QUOTE]
Bahahahaha.
If a massive mirror would pop up 100 lightyears away, it would catch the light reflected by the earth 100 years ago and we will see 100 years back in to the past in a 100 years. (so 2212 people would see me typing this).
(If you leave out the resolution or whatever aspect)
The speed of light is: 300,000km/s and the cruise speed of the latest mars probe was around 1-4km/s (i think)
So assuminge you live a 100 years:
Convert to Years:
4km*60s*60m*24h*365d*100y=1.26144*10^10km =12.303.360.000Km
Distance devided by speed=time & convert back to hours.
12303360000/Lightspeed=12.303.360.000/300.000=41011,2seconds=11.39200 hours.
If you are sending it there right now at 4km/s you could look back maybe half a day at the end of your lifetime. :P
(Edit: Actually it would be more like 5,5 hours because the light will need to get there first)
what's so fascinating about seeing ourselves that it justifies the enormous pricetag
[QUOTE=taipan;35134318]If a massive mirror would pop up 100 lightyears away, it would catch the light reflected by the earth 100 years ago and we will see 100 years back in to the past in a 100 years. (so 2112 people would see me typing this).
(If you leave out the resolution or whatever aspect)
The speed of light is: 300,000km/s and the cruise speed of the latest mars probe was around 1-4km/s (i think)
So assuminge you live a 100 years:
Convert to Years:
4km*60s*60m*24h*365d*100y=1.26144*10^10km =12.303.360.000Km
Distance devided by speed=time & convert back to hours.
12303360000/Lightspeed=12.303.360.000/300.000=41011,2seconds=11.39200 hours.
If you are sending it there right now at 4km/s you could look back maybe half a day at the end of your lifetime. :P[/QUOTE]
Now we try and find out what the most powerful optics in existance are and just how huge this monufuckingmental mirror would have to be and how on earth we get something so huge into space.
If the mirror was moving at light speed, away from earth, would the image be frozen?
[QUOTE=-TRASE-;35133339]Not new at all. In fact you never see the present.[/QUOTE]
You see the present in the past.
Just to give you some perspective, this is what the earth looks like from only 6 billion km away (taken by voyager in 1990).
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/PaleBlueDot.jpg/530px-PaleBlueDot.jpg[/img]
It took 23 years for voyager to get that far away, but the light that made up the image only took about 5 hours to get to it (and then the picture took roughly the same amount of time to get back via the radio link, plus time for encoding).
After 23 years of waiting they finally succeeded in taking a picture of Earth, [i]as it was earlier that day[/i].
[QUOTE=st0rmforce;35135666]Just to give you some perspective, this is what the earth looks like from only 6 billion km away (taken by voyager in 1990).
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/PaleBlueDot.jpg/530px-PaleBlueDot.jpg[/img]
It took 23 years for voyager to get that far away, but the light that made up the image only took about 5 hours to get to it (and then the picture took roughly the same amount of time to get back via the radio link, plus time for encoding).
After 23 years of waiting they finally succeeded in taking a picture of Earth, [i]as it was earlier that day[/i].[/QUOTE]
Why is the Earth the only bright dot in the picture?
[QUOTE=st0rmforce;35135666]Just to give you some perspective, this is what the earth looks like from only 6 billion km away (taken by voyager in 1990).
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/PaleBlueDot.jpg/530px-PaleBlueDot.jpg[/img]
It took 23 years for voyager to get that far away, but the light that made up the image only took about 5 hours to get to it (and then the picture took roughly the same amount of time to get back via the radio link, plus time for encoding).
After 23 years of waiting they finally succeeded in taking a picture of Earth, [i]as it was earlier that day[/i].[/QUOTE]
It really fascinates me how even though it's so far away, made with "ancient" technology, it can still communicate and reach us. and the fact that the radio waves only take 5 hours to reach us. Mindblowing
[QUOTE=TerabyteS_;35135963]Why is the Earth the only bright dot in the picture?[/QUOTE]
it's probably highlighted to show where it is.
[QUOTE=Buck.;35135163]If the mirror was moving at light speed, away from earth, would the image be frozen?[/QUOTE]
Can't break light speed bro.
[QUOTE=Buck.;35135163]If the mirror was moving at light speed, away from earth, would the image be frozen?[/QUOTE]
According to the laws of physics, the faster you go, the more you weigh. It's said that once something with any mass (as opposed to light, which has none) reaches light speed, it's mass will become infinity; thus destroying the universe.
So, to answer your question, no.
[QUOTE=ForgottenKane;35140980]According to the laws of physics, the faster you go, the more you weigh. It's said that once something with any mass (as opposed to light, which has none) reaches light speed, it's mass will become infinity; thus destroying the universe.
So, to answer your question, no.[/QUOTE]
That's not so, IIRC. It's not the mass that reaches infinity, it's the energy that it takes to keep it going. And it wouldn't destroy the universe - there are already things that have "infinite" mass. Although the mass itself isn't infinite, the density is so in a way it is infinite. I'm talking about the singularity in the center of a black hole.
Now I'm going to sit here and wait for JohnnyMo to prove me wrong.
[QUOTE=Crimptor;35141440]That's not so, IIRC. It's not the mass that reaches infinity, it's the energy that it takes to keep it going. And it wouldn't destroy the universe - there are already things that have "infinite" mass. Although the mass itself isn't infinite, the density is so in a way it is infinite. I'm talking about the singularity in the center of a black hole.
Now I'm going to sit here and wait for JohnnyMo to prove me wrong.[/QUOTE]
How about I prove you wrong. The mass of a black-hole is only infinite in the center, which is infinitely small. Black holes in general are a horrible example to use, since we know little to nothing on how they work.
Then again, what I proposed is also just theory. Doubled-edged sword to this entire argument.
In theory, if the mirror was 1 light year away, say (and not moving, to keep things simple) if you somehow DID manage to see the reflection in the mirror, it would be a reflection of the earth 2 years ago.
Pointless, and impractical!
[QUOTE=Buck.;35135163]If the mirror was moving at light speed, away from earth, would the image be frozen?[/QUOTE]
A similar thought is what inspired Einstein to formulate his theory of relativity.
He wondered what a clock tower would look like if the cab he was in was moving away from it at the speed of light.
Fun fact!
You guys are completely missing the point. If the mirror is 100000000 light years away, we could watch the earth form, the dinosaurs, cavemen evolving etc.
I'm sure in the vastness of space there are anomalies consisting of matter reflective enough for us to see ourselves if our telescopes are powerful enough.
Be open minded people!
Well, assuming that you have a strong enough telescope and a good size mirror that is resistant to space dust as well as being able to move faster than light, you could actually do this. It, however, is completely impractical, better you have good record keeping.
Carl Sagan's pale blue dot:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupToqz1e2g[/media]
[QUOTE=Jazzyfizzle;35141923]You guys are completely missing the point. If the mirror is 100000000 light years away, we could watch the earth form, the dinosaurs, cavemen evolving etc.
I'm sure in the vastness of space there are anomalies consisting of matter reflective enough for us to see ourselves if our telescopes are powerful enough.
Be open minded people![/QUOTE]
If every hypothetical you have made is true, then yes, that could possibly happen.
Maybe if we discover an alien species thousands of light years away who happen to have built a giant mirror facing us for no real reason we could do this. The chances are pretty slim though.
[QUOTE=squids_eye;35142528]Maybe if we discover an alien species thousands of light years away who happen to have built a giant mirror facing us for no real reason we could do this. The chances are pretty slim though.[/QUOTE]
Why would they need the mirror? More like line of sight to us.
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