Physics experts please help me solve this fictional situation . .?

Question

I'm writing story, and I'm stuck due to a technical problem. Im my story A person on earth have been able to view the events happening on a farway planet with total clarity using a revolutionaly type of radio telescope. The planet he is survying is several lightyars away , and therefore the events he is watching are decades old. The problem is that I want my character to be able to intervene in the events happening in that faraway planet, to be able somehow to see the events on that planet in real time , not just that, but to be able to interact with the characters on that faraway planet without leaving his place.
Is there any way, any revolutionary technology you might think of that would enable someone on earth to see the events happening on another planet in real time, and not delayed due to the distance light has to travel, and also to send signals to that farway planet which will not be delayed by the distance? Instant receiving and sending regardless of the distance?
Thanks

Answer 1

How about introducing a plot device such as a worm hole or black hole. The alignment of such with the path to the planet causing a bending of space time. This could beused as a limited window of opportunity for the hero and also as a source of frustration as to afterwards proving events really happened to others. Say towards the end of the story attempts to duplicate communication fail because of the aligment change ect.

Kind of kills a sequel until you think about traveling in space to an alignment point. :-)

Good luck with the story - let us know when you publish it.

Answer 2

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've studied physics. One thing I question, and maybe you've thought this through, is the use of a radio telescope to see people on another planet with clarity. Radio telescopes pick up radio wavelengths, which have low energy and which are not visible to the human eye. Images from radio telescopes are artificially colored so that we can visualize the objects emitting them, but it is not how the objects would look if we were to travel there and see them with our own eyes. Also, I think radio waves would give us images of low precision. Think about the images produced by infrared goggles (for seeing at night). Radio waves have less energy the infrared. Alternatives would be for this character to use a reflecting or refracting telescope that picks up images in the visual part of the spectrum, which the hubble is capable of doing (I think).

As for instantaneous communication at such a long distance, there are a few fanciful ideas out there, but no current technology to back them up. I can't think of anything unique that hasn't been done already. In fact, the only idea popping into my head is 'wormhole', which has been done quite a few times (even in Spaceballs the movie). Also known as 'hyperspace', the idea uses einstein's general relativity which postulates that gravity is created by the bending of spacetime. Given enough mass/energy, you can bend space to such a degree that it might connect to another part of the universe. This connection would significantly reduce the amount of travel time for a person or a signal.

I believe scientists are working on a very large particle accelerator in Europe (Hadron collider keeps coming to mind). A fear is that this collider may produce enough concentrated energy in its collisions to produce miniature blackholes, which could be thought of as wormholes if you simply imagine that the blackhole connects you to another part of the universe.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I have read many stories where this problem has been overcome with the use of telepathy or some other form of extra sensory communication, which is of course outside normal experience. There is no other way, short of making up some new technology which completely renders Einstein's work as obsolete, which could overcome the distance/speed of light problem, sorrry. If you want your story to have any ring of truth to it, you must not ignore relativity.

Answer 4

You are had by Einstein's special theory of relativity. But that did not stop S-F authors such as Robert Heinlein from proposing cheats so that it could happen. If he could get away with it, so can you.