theoretical question?

Question

if you could some how travel twice the speed of light away from earth, could you stop at any point, and look through some sort of telescope, and see your self leaving?

im asking if traveling that fast is possible, i know its not.

Answer 1

If you traveled twice the speed of life away from Earth, stopped and then looked back, you would see a spacecraft moving at you really fast.

Ok, so let's say you turned a little at the end so you weren't staring back at yourself. Ignoring all of the time dialation issues, you would see the past.

Answer 2

The other responses have been lacking in some regards, in my opinion.

Obviously, you are asking this question under the assumption that this kind of travel is somehow possible. Under these constraints, we can move forward without saying that it's just not possible.

Imagine if you went faster than the speed of light (how much faster won't really change the effect, only the length of time for which the effect happens). Also imagine that at infinitesimal intervals, you are sending off a flash of light (this can be light reflecting off you, but imagining it as a flashing light is easiest). Now then. When you stop and turn around, you will see the flash of light which happened closest to you first, since you outran the light which you flashed first. Thus, your second pulse is closer to you than your first pulse, even though the first pulse left "earlier." This occurs for each subsequent pulse. Thus, the effect is most interesting. You would see yourself going BACKWARD in your spaceship until the point that the light from Earth (or wherever) passed by you.

So yes, it would be possible to see yourself leaving. However, you would see yourself moving FORWARD in time, since at this point you had not been moving faster than light. Once you start moving faster than light, you would see yourself going backward. It's sort of a weird thing to think about, but just imagine the light circles coming from you with time, and I think you will be able to picture it.

Answer 3

hmm... it's difficult to say. Einstien theorized that time viewing was possible, but I'm not so sure that would work. Traveling at twice light speed and then stopping put's you exactly where you stop. Looking back in time to watch yourself leave and then arrive at that point would be likely impossible....you didn't just get done watching "Paycheck" did you?

Answer 4

Actually, Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity does not forbid objects traveling at or faster than the speed of light.

But it does forbid objects that are traveling less than the speed of light from speeding up to the speed of light or faster than it.

Does that make sense?

And if something is traveling faster the speed of light, and you slow it down less than the speed of light then it can't speed back up.

That is one problem finding particles traveling fast than the speed of light. Currently, we would have to slow them down to measure them and that just ruins the point they travel travel faster than the speed of light.

Answer 5

no... because if what you are saying is possible, your body would make a solid line of points from the beginning to the end of your time interval. thus, you would see only the closest image to you.