#time and space

[mysticstronomy]

IS TIME AN ILLUSION??

Blog#393

Wednesday, April 17th, 2024.

Welcome back,

Why is time controversial? It feels real, always there, inexorably moving forward. Time has flow, runs like a river. Time has direction, always advances. Time has order, one thing after another. Time has duration, a quantifiable period between events. Time has a privileged present, only now is real. Time seems to be the universal background through which all events proceed, such that order can be sequenced and durations measured.

The question is whether these features are actual realities of the physical world or artificial constructs of human mentality. Time may not be what time seems — this smooth unity without parts, the ever-existing stage on which all happenings happen.

To appreciate time is to feel the fabric of reality. I interview physicists and philosophers on my public television series, "Closer to Truth," and many assert that time is an illusion. What do they mean that time is "not real?"

Huw Price, professor of philosophy at Cambridge University, claims that the three basic properties of time come not from the physical world but from our mental states: A present moment that is special; some kind of flow or passage; and an absolute direction.

"What physics gives us," Price said, "is the so-called 'block universe,' where time is just part of a four-dimensional space-time … and space-time itself is not fundamental but emerges out of some deeper structure."

We sense an "arrow" or direction of time, and even of causation, he said, because our minds add a "subjective ingredient" to reality, "so that we are projecting onto the world the temporal perspective that we have as agents

Think of the block universe, which is supported by Einstein's theory of relativity, as a four-dimensional space-time structure where time is like space, in that every event has its own coordinates, or address, in space-time.

Time is tenseless, all points equally "real," so that future and past are no less real than the present.

So, are we being misled by our human perspectives? Is our sense that time flows, or passes, and has a necessary direction, false? Are we giving false import to the present moment?

"We can portray our reality as either a three-dimensional place where stuff happens over time," said Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Max Tegmark, "or as a four-dimensional place where nothing happens [‘block universe’] — and if it really is the second picture, then change really is an illusion, because there's nothing that's changing; it's all just there — past, present, future.

"So life is like a movie, and space-time is like the DVD," he added; "there's nothing about the DVD itself that is changing in any way, even though there's all this drama unfolding in the movie. We have the illusion, at any given moment, that the past already happened and the future doesn't yet exist, and that things are changing. But all I'm ever aware of is my brain state right now. The only reason I feel like I have a past is that my brain contains memories.

"Time is out there," said Andreas Albrecht, a theoretical cosmologist at the University of California, Davis. "It's called an external parameter — the independent parameter in the [classic] equation of motion. So, time — the time we know since we learned to tell time on a clock — seems to disappear when you study physics, until you get to relativity.

Originally published on https://www.space.com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, April 20th, 2024)

"WHAT IS THE SLOWEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE??"

[lonelyassassin96]

I want Danny to be the ancient master of space. I want Clockwork to be excited about it. I want Danny to hurt as he grows in power and becomes something even less human. I want Clockwork to not understand Danny’s pain but still trying to comfort him. I want people to write more stories about Space Ancient Danny and Clockwork, but goddamnit, I guess I’m gonna have to do it myself. Update: I'm writing a fic.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke, poet (4 Dec 1875-1926)

[Ian Sanders]

[cocoabuttavasa]

three’s a charm 🪄

with love,

B 🫀

[thedoctorandriversong]

[sheniefogo]

[anonymocha]

Je Te Veux • Voyager x Vertin

No more sadness. Breathe in the precious moment.

Synopsis — A moment of respite in the wilderness. Voyager invites Vertin to a little dance.

Words — 600+ words

A/N — Voyatin fluff for @definesanity as a part of our trade! Was listening to Erik Satie’s Je Te Veux while writing this soooo yeah! Get well soon btw!!! I still absolutely love the KaalaaPocket fic you made RAAAHHHH!!!

As the light dipped below the horizon wilderness, it casts a golden hue over the expanse. The timekeeper wandered among the flower bushes recently installed near the picnic area, their fragrances carried by the breeze like a sweet perfume. She stumbled upon Voyager, who was gracefully twirling to the faint classical melody of a record player tucked away on the picnic mat. Vertin’s eyes were drawn to the mesmerizing sight, she was dancing alone whilst humming softly to the music, the skirt of her uniform subtly swayed to the breeze, swirling around her. And she looked like she was in gentle bliss.

Intrigued by Voyager’s dance, Vertin approached with a curious smile. "Excuse me, Voyager. Do you mind some company?" she asked, her voice soft, tinted with the familiar accent.

Voyager stopped, with eyes that sparkled like stars once she noticed the timekeeper’s presence. She nodded in response, but instead of gesturing at the picnic mat, she offered her hand to Vertin, a silent invitation to join her in the dance. Vertin hesitated, an eyebrow raised, her lack of confidence in her dancing abilities momentarily holding her back.

“Oh… You want me to dance with you?” Vertin asked to confirm.

“Mhm,” Voyager nodded.

“I… Don’t know about that... I’m not really good at dancing,” she admitted sheepishly, casting her gaze downward.

Voyager’s expression softened with understanding, but she smiled with an ounce of cheekiness. She stepped forward, squeezing the timekeeper’s hand in hers, shaking her head softly. She was close. And she smelled like flowers, different from the ones around them. A note of lavender, her signature fragrance.

She guided Vertin’s hand up, placing it gently on her shoulder, while her other hand rested lightly on Vertin's waist. With a subtle sway, Voyager began to move, her steps slow and deliberate, as if inviting Vertin to follow her lead.

Vertin, feeling the warmth of Voyager’s touch and the gentle rhythm of the music, tentatively mirrored her movements. At first, her steps were hesitant and awkward, her body stiff with self-consciousness. Her eyes couldn’t meet Voyager’s throughout the first few minutes. She was looking down at her feet, trying to coordinate herself to Voyager’s moves and the music.

Voyager let her do so for a while. But suddenly, she paused her steps, using a hand to lift Vertin’s chin with care, guiding her to meet Voyager's gaze. Vertin’s eyes widened with surprise, meeting the softness and encouragement in Voyager’s gaze.

“It’s okay, Vertin,” Voyager spoke with a whisper. “Don’t worry about the moves. We’re just dancing to wind down.” She giggled softly, the sound like a melody blending with the music.

Vertin couldn’t help but smile at Voyager’s reassurance, it’s an honor to hear the usually quiet alien visitor speak, so a flicker of confidence ignited within her. With a nod, she took a deep breath, allowing herself to relax into the dance. As Voyager resumed their gentle swaying, Vertin focused on the feeling of Voyager’s hand in hers, the comforting weight of her touch grounding her to the moment.

With each step, Vertin felt herself growing more at ease, her movements gradually syncing with Voyager's in a harmonious rhythm. She began to lose herself in the dance, the worries and insecurities of the day fading into the background as she surrendered to the moment. For those few minutes, there were no storm, no Foundation, no Manus Vindictae, no nothing… Just the alien visitor’s starry eyes, the momentum of their moves, the scent of flowers, the music, the breeze, and them.

Chasse… Whisk… And sometimes, a playful messy natural turn… The two of them giggled whenever Vertin did a misstep or Voyager led her into a spontaneous twirl.

So, the evening light becomes witness of time and space’s little waltz before it bids its goodbye to welcome the wilderness night. It was peace not often found amidst throes of uncertainty beyond the suitcase. A precious, fleeting moment.

[cninzihni]

[glorfindelridesagain]

“One Last Ice Cream” sharing something special for reaching 1000 followers. Thank you everyone! This blog has helped my mental health so much, I couldn’t ask for better support on here.

[jimmorrisonfants]

(1993) Digable Planets - Where I’m From

[mysticstronomy]

WHY DOES TIME GO SLOWER IN SPACE??

Blog#329

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

Welcome back,

Time dilation goes back to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, which teaches us that motion through space actually creates alterations in the flow of time. The faster you move through the three dimensions that define physical space, the more slowly you’re moving through the fourth dimension, time––at least relative to another object. Time is measured differently for the twin who moved through space and the twin who stayed on Earth.

The clock in motion will tick more slowly than the clocks we’re watching on Earth. If you’re able to travel near the speed of light, the effects are much more pronounced.

Unlike the Twin Paradox, time dilation isn’t a thought experiment or a hypothetical concept––it’s real. The 1971 Hafele-Keating experiments proved as much, when two atomic clocks were flown on planes traveling in opposite directions.

The relative motion actually had a measurable impact and created a time difference between the two clocks. This has also been confirmed in other physics experiments (e.g., fast-moving muon particles take longer to decay).

So in your question, an astronaut returning from a space journey at “relativistic speeds” (where the effects of relativity start to manifest—generally at least one-tenth the speed of light) would, upon return, be younger than same-age friends and family who stayed on Earth.

Exactly how much younger depends on exactly how fast the spacecraft had been moving and accelerating, so it’s not something we can readily answer. But if you’re trying to reach an exoplanet 10 to 50 light-years away and still make it home before you yourself die of old age, you’d have to be moving at close to light speed.

There’s another wrinkle here worth mentioning: time dilation as a result of gravitational effects. You might have seen Christopher Nolan’s movie Interstellar, where the close proximity of a black hole causes time on another planet to slow down tremendously (one hour on that planet is seven Earth years).

This form of time dilation is also real, and it’s because in Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity can bend spacetime, and therefore time itself. The closer the clock is to the source of gravitation, the slower time passes; the farther away the clock is from gravity, the faster time will pass.

Originally published on technologyreview-com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, September 9th, 2023)

"WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STAR, A PLANET, AND A MOON??"

[oni-tengu]

pencil doodles. the davejade was more or less for vampslxsher

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[Image: Brief (2019) oil on canvas by German painter Oleksii Gnievyshev • www.singulart.com]

* * * *

The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.

- Arnold Bennett

[The Smart Witch]

[cocoabuttavasa]

truly, connection has no recollection of time or space 🫀

[thedoctorandriversong]

Rule 1: The Doctor Lies

[scribblersobia]

जब तुम ना थे तब भी मैं था,

अब तुम हो तब भी मैं हूं,

जब तुम ना रहोगे तब भी मैं रहूंगा,

गुजरते तो तुम हो,

मैं तो वक्त हूं, मैं हमेशा हर हाल में ज़िंदा रहूंगा।

_सोबिया।

Pic: Pinterest.