If light is emitted (reflected) away from earth at 300,000,000 m/s? Would someone or something on a distance planet, looking back at earth, see our past instead of our present? Beause of the alloted time it takes for light to travel a path.
2006-07-06 04:53:50 · 14 answers · asked by platostime 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
If their was a device powerful enough to view the light emitted from Earth from that distance yes, they would be viewing things that happened in the past. We do this every night when we look up at the stars in the sky. The closests star to us is Alpha Centuri and it is 4 light years away. That means that it takes light 4 yrs to travel from that star to us. That means that when we look at it in the night sky from Earth, we are veiwing light that came from it 4 yrs ago. So, in effect, we are seeing 4 yrs into the past!!!! :)))
2006-07-06 05:20:37 · answer #1 · answered by Ξ▼Ξ 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
We see distant stars because of light that has just reached us after traveling for sometimes millions of years at 300,000,000 m/s. A distant "Earth" would see our past as we see the past of stars... that is if there's another "Earth". :)
2006-07-06 05:19:09 · answer #2 · answered by tokyo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The past.
We do that now. The stars that we see at night emitted light far in the past, and only now do we see them from our planet.
2006-07-06 05:03:33 · answer #3 · answered by Dreamer363 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You 'see' that absolutely right. That observer will see the past of earth. The more distance the more back in history.
2006-07-06 05:03:49 · answer #4 · answered by Thermo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they could see the time on earth when the light is emitted from ground of earth
2006-07-06 05:06:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They would be seeing light that was emitted in the past.
2006-07-06 04:56:55 · answer #6 · answered by smoot 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
past.....>Beause of the alloted time it takes for light to travel a path.
2006-07-06 04:57:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Past.
2006-07-06 05:01:21 · answer #8 · answered by shelley v 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this may sound like a stupid answer but, if you watch star trek original series it is actually explained in the episode: The Squire of Gothos.
Hope it helps.
2006-07-06 05:16:46 · answer #9 · answered by Peter R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they would see our past
2006-07-06 04:57:13 · answer #10 · answered by Caidy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋