There is no cosmic frame of reference. Earth is moving, the sun is moving, the galaxy is moving, but you can choose any frame of reference within that. It’d be really silly to use the suns frame of reference, you’d use Earth’s.
Comment on xkcd #2976: Time Traveler Causes of Death
14th_cylon@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Asphyxiation checks out Image
JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
14th_cylon@lemm.ee 2 months ago
There is no cosmic frame of reference
There is. Just because we can’t correctly find and use it with our knowledge doesn’t mean there isn’t.
Like why would you use earth’s? There is nothing special about earth.
masterofn001@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
It isn’t about how humans view their place in the cosmos.
It’s about relativity.
Space and time are inseparable. Hence the term space-time. You can thank Einstein for that.
The comment you replied to states It’s also about frames of reference, probably one of the most crucial aspects of relaticity.
Einstein has proven that time and space appear and are experienced differently for each and every observer. With the effects being significantly different depending on gravity, speed and distances.
If you could reverse time travel then the space would conform to the time you travelled to.
14th_cylon@lemm.ee 2 months ago
If you could reverse time travel then the space would conform to the time you travelled to.
Really? What else would conform to the past point in time? Would fabric in my clothes disintegrate and transforms to something else? Would I, because I, well, didn’t exist in that past? Then it wouldn’t really be time travel, would it?
You need to abandon your idea of time travel as seeking in a video with rewind button.
Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
If we can’t find the cosmic frame of reference, then how do we know it even exists? Sure, you can assume it exists, and call that a hypothesis. If only someone had a way to test that hypothesis.
14th_cylon@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Ok, that’s fair point.
leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 2 months ago
There is.
No. It’s called relativity for a reason.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
Since a time machine has to fiddle with space-time and that is an attribute of the universe – i agree.
TechieDamien@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
We disproved a cosmic frame of reference, or “ether” hypothesis using interferometry. It is well worth a read, I think you will enjoy it.
Malfeasant@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Not exactly - what was proven is that there’s no way to distinguish between inertial frames of reference. There could be a universal frame of reference, which would most likely be the average velocity of all things in the universe. There’s not much point in making a distinction in most cases, because if you can’t detect it, it might as well not exist - but since we’re making up time travel, we might as well make up a universal frame of reference, it doesn’t break anything time travel hasn’t already broken…
Cowbob12@lemmy.world 2 months ago
The earth is not a magical center of the universe, it’s just convenient right now to use it as a frame of reference no need to associate it to magical thinking.
solstice@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I hear the universe is infinite, and no matter how far away from earth you go, there’s just infinitely more universe. So like if you are standing on earth looking twelve billion light years that way and then twelve billion light years the other way you are in a sphere of unimaginable size right? But if you actually went twelve billion light years that way once you get there you can still look this way or that way and see twelve billion more light years every which way. So from that perspective, pretty much anywhere in the universe is the center of the universe…from a certain point of view…
jol@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
A time machine is a teleportation machine. If we can imagine a time machine existing, a teleportation machine isn’t really far fetched.
TheMinions@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I cannot wait for time travel to exist so all pedantic online can be like “um actually, it’s a space-time machine”
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 months ago
Truly the most culturally relevant development from the technology!
leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 2 months ago
A time machine is a faster than light drive.
Well, the other way 'round, really, but same difference.
And to come back you need a slower than (but very close to) light drive.
Persen@lemmy.world 2 months ago
well, if you rewind time and stay in the box, the box would probably stay on earth, but I have no idea how time travel would work.