Bogi’s
Theory
“Looking Back In
Time”
To recognize that an event has
occurred, we observe the spatio-temporal changes in and the consequences of said
event. These changes, when taken down to the lowest common denominator, are
basically a motion of particles. Time is necessary for these particles to reach
the point of observation.
Formula:
The basic formula used for
calculating the time delay is:
Where Td
= Time delay.
D = Distance between event and observation point.
c = Speed of light.
Thus the observation of very distant objects is in a very real sense equivalent to looking backwards in time.
Things to consider: (from various sources)
1.
For this theory objects are also considered events (Panta Rei Philosophy
by Heraclitus).
2.
The time delay is relative to the distance between the observer and the
event. Applies to both the micro and macro cosmos.
3.
Contemporary physics states that no object should be able to travel
faster than the speed of light c =
299’792’458 m/s (meters per second). The
question remains: Are faster-than-light speeds possible? At the present time
most scientists believe that the correct answer should be “no”. However, it
has to be emphasized that there is no definite proof for this claim. Actually,
whether super-luminal speeds are possible in principle depends on the real
structure of the space-time continuum, which contemporary physics ignores,
however. The speed of light is normally rounded to 300 000 kilometers per second
or 186 000 miles per second. The speed of light depends on the material that the
light moves through - for example: light moves slower in water, glass and
through the atmosphere than in a vacuum. The ratio whereby light is slowed down
is called the
refractive index of that medium. In general, the
difference in the
speed of light in other mediums is ignored. In 1983 scientists
defined a meter as 1/299,792,458 the distance light travels in one second. They
did this because they knew the distance light travels in one second more
accurately than the definition of the standard meter. So, since 1983 the speed
of light is not measured in any way. It has been defined as a standard.
4.
The velocity of light plays a central role is astronomy and in physics.
According to the Einstein’s Theory of
Relativity, nothing in our universe can exceed the velocity of
light; thus, it is a kind of cosmic speed limit against which all other
velocities may be measured. More generally, light is part of what is called the electromagnetic
spectrum,
which includes infrared radiation, radio waves, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet
radiation, and so on. All of these are a form of light; they just have energies
that differ from the visible light that our eyes can see. Thus, these forms of
electromagnetic radiation all travel at the speed of light too. Furthermore,
contrary to normal intuition, the Theory of Relativity tells us that light always
travels at the same speed relative to some observer, no matter what the relative
motion of the observer. Thus, light emitted from a moving airplane does not
travel with the speed of light plus the speed of the airplane, it travels with
the “speed of light”, no matter what the speed of the airplane! In a vacuum,
light always travels at a speed of 299,792,458 meters per second,
no matter how its speed is measured. Although this seems strange, it has been
confirmed in many experiments. These experiments show that it is our “common
sense” that is wrong in this case! To be precise, what we usually call the
“speed of light” is really the speed of light in a vacuum (the absence of
matter). In reality, the speed of light depends on the material that light moves
through. Thus, for example, light moves slower in glass than in air, and in both
cases the speed is less than in a vacuum. However, the density of matter between
the stars is sufficiently low that the actual speed of light through most of
interstellar space is essentially the speed it would have through a vacuum, so
we don’t make much error by ignoring the difference. The preceding statements
about the constant speed of light refer to the speed of light in a particular
medium, such as a vacuum. Within such a medium, the speed is constant, but light
changes its speed when it moves from one medium (say air) to another (say
glass). The distance that light travels in a year is so large that it is a
useful unit
of distance in astronomy:
·
Light
Year: the distance that light travels (through a vacuum) in one year (9.46 x
10^17 cm).
·
The
nearest star (other than the Sun) is 4.3 light years away.
·
Our
galaxy (the Milky Way) is about 100,000 light years in diameter.
·
The
distance to the galaxy M87 in the Virgo cluster is 50 million light years.
·
The
distance to most distant object seen in the universe is about 18 billion light
years (18 x 10^9 light years).
5. Because light travels at a large but finite speed, it takes time for light to cover large distances. Thus, when we see the light of very distant objects in the universe, we are actually seeing light emitted from them a long time ago: we see them literally as they were in the distant past. For example, Supernova 1987a occurred in a “nearby” galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Its light was observed on earth in 1987, but the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud is about 190,000 light years. Thus, we normally say that Supernova 1987a occurred in 1987, but it really happened about 190,000 years earlier; only in 1987 did the light of the explosion reach the earth! If we want to know what the Large Magellanic Cloud looks like “now”, we will have to wait 190,000 years. In comparison, the Sun is only about 8 light-minutes away. So the light we see from the Sun represents what the Sun looked like 8 minutes ago, and we must wait another 8 minutes to see what it looks like “now”. The most distant things that astronomers can see are about 18,000,000,000 light years away. Thus, the light that we presently see from these objects began its journey to us about 18 billion years ago. Since that is close to the estimated age of the Universe, this light is a kind of “fossil record” of the Universe not long after its birth!
Thus the observation of very distant objects is in a very real sense
equivalent to looking backwards in time.