How long would it take to travel to the nearest star and back at relativistic speeds of 50% speed of light?

Answer 1

Relative to what? If you're talking about relative to people on Earth, then it would take 2000 seconds to travel to the nearest star and back (the Sun), however, if you're talking about relative to the spaceship, it's much more complicated than that. At that speed, the clock in your ship will run 86.6% as fast as the clock on Earth. So, 2000*0.866 = 1732
So relative to the ship, it would take 1732 seconds.

However, you might be talking about the nearest star outside our solar system. In that case, that would be Proxima Centauri, which is 4.2 light years away. In that case, it would take 16.8 years round trip relative to Earthly clocks. But the clock in your spaceship will again be 86.6% as fast, so 16.8*0.866 = 14.55
So it would take 14.55 years round trip according to your spaceship clock, but it would take 18.6 years according to Earthly clocks.

Answer 2

Bad L and **** tracy are both correct. You have to figure in time dilation and the fact that the human body can't survive massive acceleration. A - off the top of my head- calculation would be two months to accelerate slowly to 50% light speed in a comfortable manner. The same for a comfortable deceleration upon return. No need to stop at the destination, just an elliptical path around it. So about 17 years (as sensed from the earth) all in all for the round trip.

Answer 3

The closest star to ours is Proxima Centauri, which is 4.22 light years away. It would therefore take eight years and two months to get there at the speed you suggest, and the same back, making 16 years & four months. Bear in mind however that although only 16 years had passed for you on your long, tedious and dangerous journey, a couple of centuries would have passed on Earth by the time you got back - travelling at those speeds would warp space and time.

Answer 4

the light of the nearest star except the sun reaches the Earth in 4 years so it means that if we travel to that star with the half of the speed of light we will reach to that star in>> 8 YEARS<< and we will return back to earth again in 8 years so the total time is
>>16 years<<

Answer 5

Approximately 8 years at 50% light speed. HOWEVER, the previous answers neglect the time required to GET to 50% light speed. This time would vary depending on the acceleration capability of your spacecraft.

Answer 6

alpha centauri
4 light years away
at 50% speed of light
16 years round trip given you don't run out of spam

Answer 7

32 minutes, assuming you mean literally the nearest star (Sol).

Failing that, the nearest star external to the solar system is 4.2 light years away, so 16.4 years or so.

Answer 8

i think about 8 years to alpha centauri

Answer 9

A small kiss from your love partner will take you there

Answer 10

i think 160 years