Day 2: As We Move Faster, Time Becomes "Slower"

So this is what I wore today. Somehow, I can't get the angle right for the snapshot. What I mean is, the picture doesn't show what I'm trying to do with this combination. But I really liked the look. Yes, it's casual, but there's layers to it. And I folded the jeans to accentuate the ankles and the loafers. But as I said it, this picture doesn't deliver. I'll do better next time.

So I've been addicted to National Geographic. Well, I don't think there's anything to lose from doing this anyhow and I need all the knowledge I can garner to create worlds and science for my novels. My latest muse? Einstein's special relativity.

I enjoyed my astronomy class during my first semester. It's frightening to know that whenever we look at stars, we're looking back in time. For instance, it takes 8 minutes for light from the Sun to reach Earth. So to put things in perspective, whenever we look at the Sun, we're looking at it as it was 8 minutes ago. So if the Sun were to go supernova, we will only experience it 8 minutes later.

Let's take physics up a notch.

Special relativity. Now when astronauts travel to space and back, they actually become younger. This effect is, of course, extremely minute and we can't really see it. But let's speed things up. If a person travels at the speed of light, time practically stops for this person. But everything else around him speeds up.

Confused? Here's an analogy.

There're two guys, and one moving sidewalk. Let's say both guys are walking from point A to point B at the same speed, the only difference being one guy would do this on the moving sidewalk, while the other on just common ground.

Now, imagine both guys do this for a year. No doubt, the one on the sidewalk would reach point A faster, and the other guy would reach there later.

Now imagine this. Let's say the starting location and ending destination are the same spot on Earth, and these guys have walked around Earth. Technically, the guy on the sidewalk have reached there faster, and time is catching up with him. He reached the same location as the other guy, but he was younger when he reached the location.

So if we make the ending location a constant, the guy on the moving sidewalk cheated time. The other guy spends more time, thus it feels as if he's moving faster.

No doubt, these relations get pretty confusing. But know this: if a person were to travel in space at the speed of light for a year (in other words, one light year), and when this person comes back to planet Earth, he would be in the future, but he has only aged one year. That's why it's called the theory of special relativity. Time is relative to the individual who experience different speeds.

Think about it. It's fascinating, don't you agree?