light years in distance and time

[pisces22]

I was just reading about the distance of stars from Earth.I had just read about a star which is 45,000 light years from EARTH which means the light to travel from this Star to EARTH would take 45,000 years.SO what we see right now from this star is actually 45,000 years OLD?I mean if we see today that this particular star is becoming a supernova , then it actually happend 45,000 years back? Pls suggest me if am wrong!

 

[kyle_baron]

You're right! Pretty neat, don't ya think? <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4"><strong></strong></font></p> </div>

 

[weeman]

Welcome to SDC Pisces!<br /><br />The further we look in space, the further back in time we are seeing. Lets say there is a star that is 70 lightyears away from Earth. If you go out at night on your 70th birthday, you will see the star as it existed on the day that you were born!<br /><br />So, when we look even further, beyond our galaxy to other galaxies, we see things as they existed a long long time ago. Lets say we are observing a galaxy that is about 4 billion lightyears away. That means we are seeing the galaxy as it existed at about the same that Earth was forming!<br /><br />Wild stuff eh? Lightyears can truly tell us how incredibly, hugely, massively BIG Space really is. It's mind boggling that light travels at 186,000 miles per second, yet it takes billions of years to cross Space! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

To try and grok the concept, remember that the light from the sun takes 8 minutes to get here, and that's right in our neighborhood!! So when you see the sun in the sky, that's actually where is was over 8 minutes ago!!!<br /><br />Edit: Actually today, it's 8 minutes, 10.7 seconds.<br />In July, near aphehelion, it's over 8 minutes and 27 seconds!!<br />Seem to take forever <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[Saiph]

got it in one pisces22.<br /><br />one way to think of it is sorta like getting mail. Your best friend writes to you about a really sweet car he bought, mails it, and you get it 4 days later. Does that mean he bought it the day you read the letter? Of course not.<br /><br />Now, instead of just one letter every now and then, he writes them constantly. So you get a running commentary on his life, but it's just 4 days old. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[brahe]

Imagine we have found a planet that is 25 light years away.And it looks allright so we decide to make this planet our second home,and one day an expedition is sent to the planet,but when they came to the planet they realized that it was hit by an asteroid 10 years ago.What a bad day for them!<br />BTW is this possible

 

[rfoshaug]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p><br />one way to think of it is sorta like getting mail. Your best friend writes to you about a really sweet car he bought, mails it, and you get it 4 days later. Does that mean he bought it the day you read the letter? Of course not.<br /><br />Now, instead of just one letter every now and then, he writes them constantly. So you get a running commentary on his life, but it's just 4 days old.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />A very good comparison. Except that faster-than-mail travel HAS been proven to be possible. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff9900">----------------------------------</font></p><p><font color="#ff9900">My minds have many opinions</font></p> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

FTL Matter has not been <font color="black"> proved </font>to be possible.<br />Rather speculated. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[Saiph]

meteor, you didn't get his joke, did you? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[olivebird111]

omg i love this its just so funny when I found out about this in 8th grade,