The implications of Einsteins most famous theory are profound. If the speed of light is always the same, it means that an astronaut going very fast relative to the Earth will measure the seconds ticking by slower than an Earthbound observer will — time essentially slows down for the astronaut, a phenomenon called time dilation. Any object in a big gravity field is accelerating, so it will also experience time dilation. Meanwhile, the astronauts spaceship will experience length contraction, which means that if you took a picture of the spacecraft as it flew by, it would look as though it were squished in the direction of motion. To the astronaut on board, however, all would seem normal. In addition, the mass of the spaceship would appear to increase from the point of view of people on Earth.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 04:52:45 +0000
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