What if objects with mass could travel at the speed of light? This might happen:
Say there is an object that gives off light 10 lightyears away from Earth. It takes light from that object ten years to reach us. On Jan. 1, 2000, it begins traveling towards Earth at the speed of light. We would not see the object until Jan. 1, 2010.
One year later, the object will be 9 lightyears away, so its position on Jan. 1, 2001 wouldn’t known be known to us until Jan. 1, 2010. On Jan. 1, 2005, the object will be five lightyears away, meaning we would know its position (by observing it in the sky) on Jan 1, 2010.
In 2009, it will be one lightyear away, becoming visible to us in 2010. The problem is we will not see the object until it is already on top of us, and assuming it’s a massively destructive object, the entire planet would be destroyed without any warning.
It’s a good thing that objects with mass cannot travel at the speed of light. But what if there is something else in the universe that can travel at the speed of light and has the ability to destroy us. Hmm?
This is why, on shows like Star Trek that make use of a fictional “faster-than-light” drive, the course that gets plotted is not the exact position of the destination (say, Earth), but rather a coordinate just outside Earth orbit, or just inside the solar system.
Is this what you spend your time at work doing? Why do you have these thoughts?
Thanks Spike, I’m going to sleep like a baby now. And yeah, you get paid to think this stuff up? I want your job.
Every once in a while I get a minute to myself to contemplate the universe or post an entry here. Sometimes both.
Owwww.