Re:How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
by lvncelot on Friday September 02, 2022 @04:25AM
(#32688138)
Have you ever "played" Space Engine? Zooming around the universe with a speed approaching megaparsecs always induces a sinking feeling in my stomach and a sense of insignificance, and it's a little bit what I'd imagine the Total Perspective Vortex from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe would feel like.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
by hypertele-Xii on Friday September 02, 2022 @07:01AM
(#32689190)
To me it feels like home. I'd love to be a particle zooming across the vast cosmos at light speed. Some of the best dreams I've ever seen.
Re:How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
by pixl97 on Friday September 02, 2022 @08:54AM
(#32690087)
Unfortunately if you were moving light speed you wouldn't experience time, so it would be rather less eventful than you imagine. If you kicked it down just below light speed existence would be a bright white/blue spot in front of you.
Re:How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
by danbruc on Friday September 02, 2022 @09:06AM
(#32690242)
With lightspeed you are going pretty much nowhere. If you are flying through intergalactic space zipping past galaxies you are probably at least going trillions or quadrillions times the speed of light. Even just crossing the Milkyway would take you a hundred thousand years.
Re:How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
by toss1 on Friday September 02, 2022 @11:19AM
(#32691836)
>> Even just crossing the Milkyway would take you a hundred thousand years.
except due to time dilation, you would just experience it as the blink of an eye (and that's assuming that you're not quite at full light speed, full light speed and it's nothing)...
Re:How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything
by danbruc on Friday September 02, 2022 @12:56PM
(#32693018)
We are talking about Space Engine, there you are essentially a stationary observer. If you would actually make the trip with a very fast conventional space ship, then you obviously could not reach the speed of light but I think it would be fair for an outside observer to say that you are essentially travelling at lightspeed when you are travelling at 0.99c in which case it would still take you 14,000 years. You would have to get really close to lightspeed to make it in the blink of an eye.