Did anyone catch the program Light-speed on the History channel recently? Fascinating program, managed to burn more than a few of my synapses.
One of the most mind bending concepts in the program was that the speed of light was a limit to how far we can literally see in the universe. Since the big bang, light has traveled outwards for some 13.5 billion years. So we can not see any further because light hasn't had time to get there yet. That's disturbing enough, but consider.
In my world view or universe view there shouldn't BE anything past that point, but this is where it got strange. From our Milky Way we can see another galaxy at the limit of the 13 billion year limit. So, consider this a spoke in a wheel.
We are at the center of this wheel and the rim is 13 billion LYs away. Remember the light limit is 13 billion LY. So we can see the galaxies and they can see us. If we spin 180 degrees we can see 13 billion LY in that direction as well, but no further, and that's the rub. If we can see a galaxy 13 billion LY away at the edge of the visible universe, it's fair to say that they could see the Milky Way at the edge of their observable universe.
The twist comes when we realize that 180 degrees from observing them we KNOW that there is 13 Billion light years of space behind us that they CAN'T see. Which leads me to conclude that there must be at least 13 billion light years of space beyond what we can see because we have already demonstrated that there is an equal amount behind us that the other galaxy can not see. And if the universe is 13 Billion LYs old how is it we can see better than 26 billion LYs in space (if you can see 13 in one direction and 13 in the opposite that twice as much as the history of the universe even though light only traveled 13 billion ly to cover the distance) And how far does this reach.
Does that mean light speed does not apply to space/time? Did the big bang happen everywhere at the same time? If so, what does that mean to the mono-bloc before the big bang? Now do you see why I might be ready for the rubber room?
One of the most mind bending concepts in the program was that the speed of light was a limit to how far we can literally see in the universe. Since the big bang, light has traveled outwards for some 13.5 billion years. So we can not see any further because light hasn't had time to get there yet. That's disturbing enough, but consider.
In my world view or universe view there shouldn't BE anything past that point, but this is where it got strange. From our Milky Way we can see another galaxy at the limit of the 13 billion year limit. So, consider this a spoke in a wheel.
We are at the center of this wheel and the rim is 13 billion LYs away. Remember the light limit is 13 billion LY. So we can see the galaxies and they can see us. If we spin 180 degrees we can see 13 billion LY in that direction as well, but no further, and that's the rub. If we can see a galaxy 13 billion LY away at the edge of the visible universe, it's fair to say that they could see the Milky Way at the edge of their observable universe.
The twist comes when we realize that 180 degrees from observing them we KNOW that there is 13 Billion light years of space behind us that they CAN'T see. Which leads me to conclude that there must be at least 13 billion light years of space beyond what we can see because we have already demonstrated that there is an equal amount behind us that the other galaxy can not see. And if the universe is 13 Billion LYs old how is it we can see better than 26 billion LYs in space (if you can see 13 in one direction and 13 in the opposite that twice as much as the history of the universe even though light only traveled 13 billion ly to cover the distance) And how far does this reach.
Does that mean light speed does not apply to space/time? Did the big bang happen everywhere at the same time? If so, what does that mean to the mono-bloc before the big bang? Now do you see why I might be ready for the rubber room?
2 comments:
Hello. And Bye.
and even those comments are relative because from another reference it could well be goodbye, hello or converging wave fronts its gellobye hummmm I guess I picked the wrong day to give up drinking...
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