twins in space?

Question

I heard this when I was younger but I want to know if there is any truth to this. Ok, two people are twins. one goes to space and stays there for a couple of years. when he returns he finds his twin brother to look older than he (the one who went to space) does. is there any truth to this? can this really happen? God bless you all.

Answer 1

Firstly, relativity theory predicts that as an object approaches light-speed, time slows down for it. So, in theory the twin goes off at near light speed, and ages more slowly than his/her twin.

Though I do not understand the mechanics of it, I have read that the thing falls down, because the effect will be reversed if the twin travels back. So, the theory could never be checked in this way, though I understand that scientists have proved it by accelerating particles in a cyclotron.

Also, in reality nobody is ever going to physically travel at such speeds. At near light speed, even if a speck of dust hit your ship, you would be instantly annhiliated. This is a thing that all sci-fi writers happily ignore. there is no way you could protect flesh and blood at such veloicities. Just look at what NASA have to do to protect Shuttle astronuats at ordinary speeds.

Also at near light speeds, avoidance is impossible. You cannot change direction at those speeds without crushing the ship and everything in it.

Sorry, but we are soft, water-based creatures, and I believe the exploration of the stars will be done robotically. They can stand micro-meteorites passing through them.

Answer 2

if the space twin travels at speed close to speed of light, his time will slow down, and he will be younger when he returns.

Just sitting in Earth orbit or going to the Moon will not have this effect.

Answer 3

relativity says that if a twin was traveling at near light speeds, then he would experience time slower than the other twin, thus he would be "younger" than his other twin.

Answer 4

well i think it can be possible because in space u are weightless and gravity is what makes u get saggy. INTERESTING question! That is my take on it. lol.