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We see objects with our eyes as object emits/reflects light. Say if we travel at almost the speed of light can we see the objects normally?

Qmechanic
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SaravInfern
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1 Answers1

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Not through our normal sight.

First of all, doppler shift will totally change the color of everything, objects ahead of us shifting towards blue/ultraviolet, and these left behind becoming more red/infrared. Then, Lorenz Contraction combined with changed time and distance it takes light reflected off objects (and separately, emitted by objects) to reach our eyesight, the image will be severely distorted.

If you want to experience the kind of distortions we'd encounter, you can download the free game A Slower Speed Of Light which explores the idea.

screenshot depicting shifted colors screenshot depicting the distortions

Of course, the right software knowing the speed of the ship, the direction and the distorted image from the outside, would be able to "unscramble" it into what we see normally.

That's all for speeds approaching speed of light. Now if we somehow found a way to travel at speed of light without breaking the laws of the universe (e.g. our ship having infinite kinetic energy), then nope, some information would be lost, and not even the best software would be able to regenerate it.

SF.
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  • If you had a ship that had infinite kinetic energy and applied that in an attempt to increase the ship's velocity, that energy would only increase the ship's mass, and as you got closer and closer to the speed of light, more and more of that energy would be converted into mass. – BillDOe Jun 10 '16 at 22:31
  • @BillOer: Infinite kinetic energy is just one of many impossibilities that would be required for any object that possesses mass traveling at speed of light. It's a huge can of worms. Infinite mass, zero length of the ship from outside frame of reference, zero distance between origin and destination from the ship's frame of reference, and that's all without even scrapping the top of the time-related shenanigans. A staggering number of impossibilities. And of course just spending more energy to speed up won't get you anywhere. Some space-time curvature manipulation magic would be needed. – SF. Jun 10 '16 at 22:45
  • Note that the simulation of Doppler shift in "A Slower Speed of Light" is completely wrong. I just wrote an answer about this. – benrg Oct 14 '20 at 21:14