If the hubble space telescope can take images of space lightyears away... those things are happening years ago????........ then if we could send a telescope lightyears away,,, providing it gave a good enough picture quality... then we could see back in time????
2007-06-09 16:22:42 · 7 answers · asked by glenne 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Not any earlier than our current time, no. But back in time, at the time of viewing, yes. However many lightyears away it was, it would take that many years for the light from Earth to reach it, and at least that many years for the information to be sent back here. Let's say, for sake of argument, we send a telescope out 5 light years away, and point it at the Earth. And assume we get a more detailed picture than any we could actually possibly hope for. Everything that occurred after the telescope was in the proper position would be viewed by it 5 years later, and sent back to us and viewed at least 10 years later. But there is still no way we could view anything that happened prior to the telescope being positioned. And for the purpose the telescope would serve, I would recommend using a video camera. Tape something, and watch it ten years later. Same concept, and much, much cheaper.
2007-06-09 16:35:02 · answer #1 · answered by Master Maverick 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
You haven't studied the science. You just regurgitate whatever comes to your head without understanding that light carries images to us. But, even though it has been measured at just over 186,000 miles per second, in the vastness of space, the images just now reaching us from deep space originated years ago -- in some cases, up to 13.7 billion years ago. We see the past because the images take so long to get here from "there". And 13.7 billion years is as good as we can "see" right now.
If we send a telescope deep into distant space. The signals it sends back to us will take just as long to get to us as the light is taking now. What the heck would be accomplished by trying what you propose? Nothing but the huge expense of sending the telescope out there.
2007-06-09 23:41:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Interesting concept. I assume you mean to say we send the telescope lightyears away pointing towards Earth, and so that we can look at our own past??
But the fact is that light will take years to reach your telescope, so even if you are relatively looking at the past, this past serves no purpose to you, as time would had moved on on Earth. And whatever you have to say will again take years to travel back to Earth.
2007-06-09 23:32:16 · answer #3 · answered by Zephyr 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That's correct. Except that 'sending' the telescope lightyears away would have to be done by moving the telescope at a speed in excess of the speed of light âº
Doug
2007-06-09 23:31:37 · answer #4 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
When you look across distance you do look back in time. Due to the speed of light being a limit however, any device you send out could never look further back in our local time than before it was launched.
Any 'self portraits` it sent back would be out of date by twice the distance in light years if that interests you.
2007-06-13 22:56:19 · answer #5 · answered by Irv S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You see back in time when you look at anything, some stars are billions of light years away, even you TV set is seen as it was when the light reflected from it headed for your eyes.
2007-06-13 16:33:12 · answer #6 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No because we'd have no way of getting that data real time here on Earth...Even if it took pictures of a local event, it would still take x amount of light years for that data to reach us. We would recieve it at the same time we were able to detect that event here.
2007-06-09 23:29:52 · answer #7 · answered by Cyberwolf 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋