If there were another planet about 7 light-years away from earth, could they see the World Trade Center?

Question

I'm curious to know if, theoretically, they could watch the events of September 11, 2001 (Earth Time) unfold before their eyes...

The assumptions I'm making are:

- There is a planet with life 7 light-years away from earth
- These life forms have the technology to see such a far distance with a telescope at such a fine resolution

Answer 1

If they have sufficient technology to see this far with that resolution, then sure they could see the events. It would still be in the future for anywhere that's 7 light years away, though, because it hasn't been 7 years between the events of 9/11/01 and now.

Beings at Alpha Centauri with this technology would have already seen it happen, though.

The only 'proviso' is that the Earth would have to not have been directly in front of or behind the Sun from these beings' point of view. Since the attacks happened early in the morning local time, that means that a star in the "directly overhead" direction from NYC would have a decent view of the events. But they'd have to be looking at that exact spot at that exact time, or else they would miss it.

Far more likely would be that they would intercept our news broadcasts about the event, since that's a more omnidirectional signal to pick up on, not to mention the fact that the news talked about nothing but that for weeks, so they'd have a better chance of catching it.

As an example of how good their technology would have to be - even the Hubble Space Telescope could not see the same sort of thing if it were to happen on Mars, for example. Mars is millions of times closer, and doesn't have the glare of the sun to contend with most of the time for viewing. Think how sophisticated these 7ly beings' telescope tech would have to be!

Answer 2

Our largest telescope would have a hard time making out something as small as the World Trade Center even if it were just on the moon. At 7 light years, we wouldn't be able to see something the size of Jupiter. Most of the craters that we see with a pair of binoculars are bigger then our largest cities. It would take monsterous technology to see the roof of a pair of building, on planet with an atmosphere, that is located so near a bright sun, The more so if you are thinking in terms of real time visual astronomy rather then long exposure photography.

Answer 3

That would have to be one incredibly huge telescope.

The nearest star to our sun, Barnard's star, is much, MUCH bigger than New York City, and it is a mere blip to the naked eye. It is not much larger in the largest telescopes known.

If these notional aliens did have a telescope that could collect enough light and resolve the World Trade Center, and they live on a star 7 light years away, and they were looking at New York City at the right time, they would not be able to see the events until next year. But theoretically, it is possible.

Answer 4

confident, it is real. although, in the event that they have been hundreds of thousands of sunshine years away, they might in easy terms see the earth as a tiny, tiny dark speck while it crosses in front of the solar. it could be impossible for them to establish dinosaurs, the development of the pyramids or the very early meteor impacts. they might want to have telescopes with mirrors that have been thousands of hundreds of miles in diameter so as to actual see something on earth. Even at that length, they might in easy terms have the skill to differentiate that there have been places of water and of land and not lots extra. From the earth, we can not determine the kit left on the moon from the manned moon missions, and the moon is merely some gentle seconds from the earth. Satellites that are orbiting the moon, and are very on the factor of it, are in a position to take photographs of that left at the back of kit. you could desire to be very on the factor of actual determine products that are the dimensions of issues you probably think of which you relatively want to establish. EDIT: many human beings mentioned "confident", so i'm undecided why you have become so excited. Being oftentimes of a clinical bent, although, many that answer questions right here sense compelled to complicated on that easy confident. wait and spot and know-how - it relatively is how we are. :-) different technologies: nicely, you have the entire electromagnetic spectrum to play with, and, i think that they might "see" x-rays, or UV or infra-purple rather of what we evaluate the seen spectrum. the subject nevertheless exists: you want something to deliver mutually the alerts. the bigger the collector, the extra documents you will have the skill to deliver mutually, and the farther away you will have the skill to "see." they might nevertheless might desire to handle the subject of resolving very small products in the process unimaginably large distances. That issue does not circulate away because you employ a distinctive technologies.

Answer 5

If they had the tech yah, but they'd see it seven years after it happened.