When discussing relativity and spacetime, we learn that nothing, not even gravity, can travel faster than the speed of light. That gravity travels at exactly the speed of light makes the universe seem like a pond full of ripples. We only perceive the universe when those ripples reach the lens's of our telescopes.
When discussing time in the universe, therefore, we are forced to consider only one "now" - that's our "now" here on earth. The fact that nothing can interact with distant galaxies instantaneously suggests a universal "now" is a concept without meaning.
It's difficult to describe, even theoretically, how the entire universe might experience a "now", but the converse is not appealing. "Fooling" relativity doesn't seem possible.
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2007-07-07
03:23:03
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11 answers
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asked by
John Relling
1
in
Astronomy & Space