Time travel has been a topic of fascination for many people for hundreds of years. It has inspired countless books, films and movies. Humankind would be able to travel through time and space, as well as into the past and future. This would open up a lot of new possibilities.
Is it possible to travel through time theoretically?
Superman travels around the globe at a speed that is faster than light in the 1978 Superman film. This is incredible fast, the speed of light is only under 300,000. km per second!
We haven't been able to reach this speed yet. The fastest man-made object, a probe for space, has traveled 150km per second.
Is it theoretically possible to travel faster than light speed and travel in time with the right technological advances?
Six experts in physics, astronomy and astrophysics were asked to answer the question: "Is it possible for time travel at a speed faster than the speed light?" Here's what we discovered
Are we able to perceive time differently when traveling at speed?
Einstein's theory about relativity states that time is not universal, but relative. In 1971, the Hafele-Keating experiment showed that clocks flying at high speed on an airplane fell behind clocks on the ground.
Recent research has shown that precise atomic clocks can run at different speeds depending on how they are moved. This phenomenon is known as "time dilation".
Dr Sean Matt, a UK expert in Astrophysics and Astroastronomy, said that "if one travels at the speed of light time behaves differently than it used to. This allows one to move forward in time faster then those who are behind." It is theoretically possible, however, to travel to the future. However, it is impossible to return.
Is it possible travel faster than light speed?
Experts agreed that it was impossible to travel faster than light speed. Einstein's theory also stated this.
Dr Eric Tittley is an expert in astronomy from the University of Edinburgh. He explains that "no object or information can travel more than the speed of light." It's not about not having enough energy to propel it that fast. Externally, extra energy that is added to a body in order to propel it past the speed limit of light simply asymptotically speeds it up to the speed limits of light.
"Asymptotically" means something moves closer and closer to light speed, but never quite reaches it.
Because objects move faster than light, they become heavier. Because it doesn't have mass, light can only travel at the speed limit because it doesn't have any mass.
The bottom line: While traveling at speed can alter your perception of time, it is not possible to travel faster than the speed light.
This article is based upon 6 expert answers to the question: "Is it possible for time travel to go faster than the speed light?"
This expert response was published by Metafact.io, an independent fact-checking platform. Subscribe to their weekly newsletter.
