Might a star in the sky really be Earth where it was eons ago? Could we see back in time by 'Hubbling' it?

Question

The stars we see are lightyears away, or truly where they were millions of years ago. If we could figure out earth's position in the universe millions of years ago and focus a telescope on that area, could we not "see" earth as it was? If the telescope were powerful enough, could we not witness stages of evolution? If we can't travel through time, perhaps we can still observe the past and future by peering through space.

Answer 1

Yes, since the cosmos has been bended, the image of earth can return.

Answer 2

You misunderstand what it means to be "lightyears" away. A lightyear is like a mile, a kilometer, or a foot; that is, a unit of distance, not time. A lightyear is how far light has traveled in one year, roughly 9.46*10^15 meters. The situation you speak of would only be possible if the light from the sun reflecting off the earth took some sort of bizzare path throughout the universe such that it actually came back at the Earth. Of course, the image would be so distorted that you'd never know what you were actually looking at. It's akin to shooting a bullet in a desert and having it hit you in the stomach a million years later.

Answer 3

The universe is too big for the light from the early earth to have circumnavigated it. Therefore, the only way light from the early earth could be getting back to us right now is 1. It was reflected off of something no more than about 3 billion light years away and has come back or 2. Immediately after the light left earth, the planet somehow began to travel faster than the speed of light, covered 4 or 5 billion light years and moved sideways into the path of some of the light. However, even if that were possible, after travelling that distance, the light would be 1. Too faint to be seen or 2. Drowned out by the light of the sun.

Answer 4

The light the earth reflects travels faster than then earth moves through space and time, which means, the light from Earth millions of years ago, has long since past our current position by.

Answer 5

Theoretically possible, but highly improbable due to the way that light propagates from a point in time. In order for you to "see the earth as it was millions of years ago" you would somehow need to be able to collect light waves that have propagated out from a point in time for that length of time while filtering those specific light waves for that object from the millions and billions of other light wave emitting objects in the galaxy. In essence, no, you could not do this as the light would be so diluted into other light that it would be indistinguishable. Interesting question though. This is of course assuming that the universe is curved and we can look all the way around this curve in space time. We really aren't sure about that either.

Answer 6

if we did see a star in the sky, and it was earth, then I would say no. we could never see back in time with a telescope because it was only there in the past. only the light reflecting from it is reaching Earth at the present.

Answer 7

I think not, light reflected from the earth only travels away from it, therefore the image of the earth will always be traveling away from the point we are at now. You would have to be able to travel faster than the speed of light and then look back at earth in order to "travel back in time". I'm no expert, but I've thought about it before.

Answer 8

that'd be like looking into the past /future !!i think its impossible
..and one more thing ....making a telescope that powerful ! ...i think that will be as possible as see the earth as it was millions of years ago !

Answer 9

no, we couldn't see earth in the stars. millions, even billions of years ago, the Earth still revolved around the sun...

Answer 10

In theory it is possible. Albert Einsteins theory of relativity says it is possible. However you may want to ask a professer or theorist to verify what I am telling you. I only took physics in highschool so my thoery my be flawed.