To begin, it is important to note that traveling at the speed of light is not possible with the technology that we currently have. Because nothing can move faster than the speed of light, traveling at this speed would require the use of an entirely new form of transportation.
But, if humans could somehow achieve this feat, the effects would be extraordinary. For one, humans would experience time dilation—the phenomenon in which time passes more slowly for a person in motion relative to a stationary observer.
This means that time would appear to “slow down” for someone traveling at the speed of light as long he or she moves in a straight line. Additionally, due to the effects of Einstein’s Special Relativity, mass would also increase as the velocity of an object approaches the speed of light.
This means that the faster the motion approaches the speed of light, the greater the mass of the object.
Moreover, traveling at the speed of light would also cause physical changes in the traveler. At such high velocity, the traveler would become increasingly heavy and subject to intense radiation. As a result, living organisms would not be able to withstand such conditions and could potentially experience great harm with prolonged exposure.
In summary, if humans were able to travel at the speed of light, they would experience time dilation, an increase in mass, and physical changes due to intense radiation. Although this feat is yet to be achieved, the effects of such a journey would be remarkable.
How much time would pass on Earth if I traveled at the speed of light for a year?
If you were traveling at the speed of light for a year, the time on Earth would continue to move at its normal rate, so the amount of time that would pass on Earth would be the same as a normal year.
This is because the speed of light is the same in any inertial frame of reference, so regardless of how fast you are traveling, time in relation to you appears to be the same. It’s only when you make observations from a different frame of reference that you could see time passing differently from observer to observer.
That being said, there is still uncertainty regarding traveling at the speed of light due to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, which states that no physical object can travel faster than light. So, even if you were to travel at the speed of light, the time on Earth would still pass at its normal rate.
How close can humans get to light speed?
Humans will never be able to travel at the speed of light as it is impossible to achieve this velocity. According to the laws of relativity, an object needs to have infinite mass in order to travel at the speed of light.
Since humans do not have infinite mass, it is not possible for us to travel at light speed.
However, humans can get close to the speed of light by using rocket engines and other propulsion systems. It is possible for humans to travel close to the speed of light, though far from the speed at which light actually travels.
For instance, the fastest spacecraft is the Helios 2, which can travel at speeds up to 70.2 km/s or almost a quarter of the speed of light. Additionally, the Voyager 1 and 2 probes actually surpassed Helios 2 in late 2018 and continue to accelerate out of the solar system at approximately 17 km/s which is about 0.06% of the speed of light.
In order to travel close to the speed of light, the craft would have to be shot away from Earth by a powerful rocket to produce an immense amount of thrust. Another possibility is to use a larger, more powerful version of existing ion thrusters, which can propel a spacecraft at up to 80 km/s, or 0.27% of the speed of light.
Still, even this phenomenal speed is too slow to reach the speed of light.
Is light faster than darkness?
No, light and darkness aren’t ‘things’ that can be compared in terms of speed. Light is made up of electromagnetic radiation, which is composed of tiny particles of energy called photons that travel through space at 186,000 miles per second (roughly 300,000 km per second).
Darkness is the absence of light, so it cannot be measured in terms of speed because it is not a physical entity. Additionally, the speed of light is constant in a vacuum, meaning that light always travels at the same speed, so it doesn’t make sense to compare the speed of light against another object.