Space, time, and light. Interesting idea I had earlier.

Hey everyone, I'm somewhat new to the boards, but have been lurking for over 2 years. I wasn't sure where to put this, but I think this is the right place since it vaguely deals with aliens on another planet. But here goes:

I was thinking earlier about aliens on other planets and how far away they are and if we will ever find any. I got to thinking about it and came across the idea that what if we had a telescope powerful enough to see another planet's surface thousands of light years away. And what if we were to watch an alien walking down the street. If we can see this alien walking down the street now, would it be happening right now or not.

Since this planet is thousands of light years away, we would be seeing thousands of years in the past, so that means it's not really happening, but since we're watching it now, it would have to be happening, even though it's really not.

I'm not really sure what to think about this, but I'm leaning toward the fact that past, present, and future are happening right here and now at the same time in the same space. Because think about it, another civilization could be watching me being born right now through a telescope from 20 light years away, so it's happening right now for them, but it's not happening to me right now, it was 20 years ago.

Thoughts?

reply to post by Mookie89


You have discovered through your own reasoning what Einstein discovered.

Time is relative. It really is a figment of your imagination.

Relativity:
Where science and fiction meet.

reply to post by Mookie89


If you were watching an alient 1000 light years away through a telescope it would not be happening now. You would just be looking at the reflection of light of an event that happened a 1000 years ago.

When you see a batter hit a ball, but dont hear the sound for a few seconds does that mean he hit the ball twice?

DP



[edit on 16-6-2009 by grapesofraft]

reply to post by Mookie89


You just made my brain explode

In all seriousness though you're right, if we had that telescope we'd still be looking at phantoms of what once was and not what is relative to our time. However if we managed to make it to that alien planet on a ship we'd be on their time, the same as if I take a plane to California I'm now a few hours earlier... Time is indeed relative...

It always blew my mind as a kid when they taught about that stuff in science, taught that when looking up in the sky at the stars we're looking deep into the past. Kind of makes me wonder if for a few hundred years at the start of the Earth there were NO stars visible in the sky because not enough time had gone by yet for their light to reach Earth

[edit on 16-6-2009 by Titen-Sxull]

reply to post by Titen-Sxull


LOL, I hope you are kidding. Einstein would roll over in his grave if he read that.

Well roll over laughing at least.

[edit on 16-6-2009 by grapesofraft]

I agree that all instances of time run at once and continously over and over again. Time should maybe be thought of as cyclical instead of linear, or as others have said, not to exist at all.

Great way to think about it though, I have absolutely no idea how to answer the question about the telescope. But for the universe to exist it has to be infinately big and infinately small at the same time.

Originally posted by Majestic23
I agree that all instances of time run at once and continously over and over again. Time should maybe be thought of as cyclical instead of linear, or as others have said, not to exist at all.

Great way to think about it though, I have absolutely no idea how to answer the question about the telescope. But for the universe to exist it has to be infinately big and infinately small at the same time.

Why does it have to be infinitely big and infinitely small at the same time to exist?

Do you have any proof that all instances of time run at once and continuously over and over again?

Where did you come up with this stuff? Just asking

yeah -- you'd be watching *sorta* an old movie of that alien dude walking down the street.

but it's the same thing if you stick a John Wayne dvd on and watch that, right?? It was a long time ago, but it's just happening for you??

I don't see any difference between the two scenarios to be honest.

Continue the research (ie drinking)...

Ok, it makes sense now... I guess. I never really understood relativity, but if this is what it means the ok.

And the guy that said something about a John Wayne movie being played now, that has nothing to do with this scenario. The movie was recorded, which means it can be played over and over as many times as you like, you can't play time over and over with the push of a button, now can you?

[edit on 16-6-2009 by Mookie89]

Originally posted by Mookie89
And the guy that said something about a John Wayne movie being played now, that has nothing to do with this scenario. The movie was recorded, which means it can be played over and over as many times as you like, you can't play time over and over with the push of a button, now can you?

Yes, but it seems our higher self can. This might explain why when we have a near death experience we see our lives flash before our eyes. In essence our higher selves start to run our lives over again by mistake, as we have not actually died. However in realising the mistake they press, fast forward and our whole life runs again to the point where we were about to die. This implies that we never actually reach the point of death in our consciousness, time doubles itself continously forever at this point. As a famous researcher in this field put it, "cheating the ferryman".

This might also explain why we have strange points time to time, where we cheat death miraculously as though helped y a guardian angle.

Originally posted by grapesofraft
Why does it have to be infinitely big and infinitely small at the same time to exist?

Do you have any proof that all instances of time run at once and continuously over and over again?

Where did you come up with this stuff? Just asking

I actually had an out of body experience where I was told/show that time is an illusion and everything possible in existance is already out there, its just we are set to experience a small part of it. Sounds crazy I know.

As for the idea that the universe is infinately big and small it is slowly getting into mainstream science. Sacred geometry explains it beautifully ( I am no expert ). In the 60s though with the advent of new lasers, it was found when one was projected into a molecule and then split, the cross section also contained the original molecule in its full form. This is essential to the holographic universe and in my opinion, the unified theory. I guess time will tell.

Originally posted by Majestic23

Originally posted by Mookie89
And the guy that said something about a John Wayne movie being played now, that has nothing to do with this scenario. The movie was recorded, which means it can be played over and over as many times as you like, you can't play time over and over with the push of a button, now can you?

Yes, but it seems our higher self can. This might explain why when we have a near death experience we see our lives flash before our eyes. In essence our higher selves start to run our lives over again by mistake, as we have not actually died. However in realising the mistake they press, fast forward and our whole life runs again to the point where we were about to die. This implies that we never actually reach the point of death in our consciousness, time doubles itself continously forever at this point. As a famous researcher in this field put it, "cheating the ferryman".

This might also explain why we have strange points time to time, where we cheat death miraculously as though helped y a guardian angle.

And you have brought up another of my questions. If people's lives really flash before their eyes, what if that "flash" is really your whole life being played back in real time? What if when you die, you life is "flashing" by from someone else's perspective, but your brain is replaying your life over again in real time? Like a never ending cycle, you live, you have another "flas" of your life within that flash.

I know that sounds a little crazy, but it may be right. I dunno...

EDIT: I re-read you post and put things into better context, and I think that maybe you are talking about the same thing I am posting here.

[edit on 16-6-2009 by Mookie89]

reply to post by Mookie89


If the planet you are viewing is 20 lightyears away you would be seeing the alien walking down the street 20 years ago. It took light 20 years to reach you (and your telescope) from its' point of origin. This is included in Albert Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity.

Yes, that is exactly my understanding of it. It all seems very technological to me, almost computerised. I dont want to mention The Matrix but I can think of no better comparison.

Originally posted by Majestic23
Yes, that is exactly my understanding of it. It all seems very technological to me, almost computerised. I dont want to mention The Matrix but I can think of no better comparison.

It's kind of depressing really. To think that this is the only life you will ever live. You won't be reincarnated as someone else, just reliving the same experiences over and over without even knowing it.

Yeah, it seems that way. But its better than experiencing what the higher self has to comprehend. I think I saw just a part of what the higher self has to comprehend and it was the most intense experience of my life. Having multiple conscious entities to run at once whilst being in a place where time doesant exist, but every alternate dimension does is probably the same as being in hell.
But hey, its not all doom and gloom, there is so much beauty and so much to experience. And theres also the great possibility that God is a good entity of awsome power and we are guided.

The present moment, is an infinitesimal cross section or slice of the entire history of the universe. If you could transcend human physicality and the perceptual boundaries that it entails, you can see that yes, all events are simultaneous in a higher reality, the present is all that exists and for some weird reason that I haven't been able to grasp, the present is eternal.
3-d wise, your experience of watching someone on a planet 20 years light way would indeed mean that it happened 20 years ago. But in reality, it is always happening, has always been happening and will always be happening.

Related reading:

"I am a Tralfamadorian, seeing all time as you might see a stretch of the Rocky Mountains. All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five, Chapter 4

(sorry haven't figured out how to do quotes yet)

Originally posted by HiranMaya
The present moment, is an infinitesimal cross section or slice of the entire history of the universe. If you could transcend human physicality and the perceptual boundaries that it entails, you can see that yes, all events are simultaneous in a higher reality, the present is all that exists and for some weird reason that I haven't been able to grasp, the present is eternal.
3-d wise, your experience of watching someone on a planet 20 years light way would indeed mean that it happened 20 years ago. But in reality, it is always happening, has always been happening and will always be happening.

Related reading:

"I am a Tralfamadorian, seeing all time as you might see a stretch of the Rocky Mountains. All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five, Chapter 4

(sorry haven't figured out how to do quotes yet)

Great post. Star for you.

[edit on 6/16/0909 by Mookie89]