# Coould this work? How to see 2,000,000 years ito the past. **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [September 13, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325 "2010-09-13T20:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Motocrossx23](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/motocrossx23/32/5120_2.png) [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/21 "2010-09-14T09:28:23Z")
“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong” ---
**Author:** ![TsiTalon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tsitalon/32/5012_2.png) [@TsiTalon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TsiTalon)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/22 "2010-09-14T09:47:36Z")
doesnt the earth move? no one thought about that? and spin… one thing at a time though ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/23 "2010-09-14T09:52:33Z")
Why would light diffuse through empty space? ---
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/24 "2010-09-14T09:58:02Z")
Space isn’t quite empty enough though. ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 10:17am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/25 "2010-09-14T10:17:41Z")
Why does that statement make me laugh? lol ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/26 "2010-09-14T10:33:03Z")
Light does not diffuse though open space, it looses intensity. It only diffuses if a frictional force interacts with it and forces it to give up its energy, like a black hole… or a mirror. Light looses intensity the further away you are because it radiates out in all directions and isn’t focused. A mirror would scatter the light even more. That said, the specifics of the picture posted would not work. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 10:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/27 "2010-09-14T10:39:03Z")
> [@LAFENGAS](#): > > this concept is severely flawed. to the point where i don’t know how the kid made such a great conceptual sketch with crayons. :word: ---
**Author:** ![Minglor](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/minglor/32/7373_2.png) [@Minglor](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Minglor)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/28 "2010-09-14T20:00:38Z")
so, does the plane take off? ---
**Author:** ![Jack](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jack/32/7613_2.png) [@Jack](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jack)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/29 "2010-09-14T20:42:43Z")
How would light lose intensity? Unless there is an opposite force on the light (which in perfect space, there isn’t) the light would shine forever. I’m gonna let it shine. ---
**Author:** ![sickboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sickboy](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sickboy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/30 "2010-09-15T04:44:29Z")
You’d need a perfect, earth sized or larger mirror for the light not to diffuse, which would never happen… and even then the earth from 2 million light years away wouldn’t look like much to a modern day telescope. Maybe by the time we have perfect mirrors, we would be able to make a perfect telescope to go along with it that could see a small planet clearly from 2 million light years away, who knows? I’m optimistic about the future, so I like to think this would work. ---
**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/31 "2010-09-15T05:12:52Z")
It’d probably be easier to squirt through a wormhole. Watch out for raptors. They’re sneaky sons of bitches. ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/32 "2010-09-15T07:20:27Z")
> [@Jack](#): > > How would light lose intensity? Unless there is an opposite force on the light (which in perfect space, there isn’t) the light would shine forever. I’m gonna let it shine. You’re confusing the word intensity with the word diffusion. Put your face right next to a light bulb and stare at it, then put it 10 feet away and note the difference. That’s intensity and a vacuum doesn’t change it. And there is no “perfect space” to facilitate this or “perfect mirror” that can pull this off. Some of you guys are trying to compare the fact that you can see stars that are light years away to being able to see a planet. Planets don’t even give off light, they reflect it. Show me a planet that we can see from a telescope right now at that distance from earth, let alone one with meaningful detail or a mirror added into the equation. ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/33 "2010-09-15T07:25:53Z")
> [@Onyx Z32](#): > > Some of you guys are trying to compare the fact that you can see stars that are light years away to being able to see a planet. Planets don’t even give off light, they reflect it. Show me a planet that we can see from a telescope right now at that distance from earth, let alone one with meaningful detail or a mirror added into the equation. You’re right. Good way of explaining it. :tup: ---
**Author:** ![Motocrossx23](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/motocrossx23/32/5120_2.png) [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 8:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/34 "2010-09-15T08:21:10Z")
Don’t worry, once Morgan Freeman steps through the Wormhole he’ll tell us how the past was. ---
**Author:** ![breakstuff](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/breakstuff/32/5413_2.png) [@breakstuff](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/breakstuff)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 9:59am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/35 "2010-09-15T09:59:03Z")
Would a few million lightyears of fiber-optic cable be easier than putting the mirror in space? ---
**Author:** ![Mixmastermike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mixmastermike/32/7314_2.png) [@Mixmastermike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mixmastermike)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/36 "2010-09-15T10:21:17Z")
> [@Onyx Z32](#): > > Some of you guys are trying to compare the fact that you can see stars that are light years away to being able to see a planet. Planets don’t even give off light, they reflect it. Show me a planet that we can see from a telescope right now at that distance from earth, let alone one with meaningful detail or a mirror added into the equation. The new James Webb telescope has the ability to block out the light of the planets star allowing it to see planets. Large planets will only appears as specks of light though. Not a bad start considering the difference in brightness. ---
**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/37 "2010-09-15T10:33:32Z")
Funny how you guys ignore the part about a giant mirror 1MM lightyears away and then procede to nitpick the practicality of being able to make out shapes from reflected light. But anyhow, if this did work we’d probably see advanced Incan civilizations with technology we have yet to develop, like the ability to launch a plane on a treadmill. I wonder how they overcame friction? ---
**Author:** ![Clean\_Baldy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/clean_baldy/32/7308_2.png) [@Clean\_Baldy](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Clean_Baldy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 10:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/38 "2010-09-15T10:39:03Z")
The earth doesn’t put off enough light to see it through a telescope. The best you’d be able to do is see earth moving in front of the sun every 365 days as a shadow. Even if you did have a telescope the size of the moon looking at a mirror the size of jupiter the light would still lose energy over those million light years, and then you’d have that same light travelling the same distance back to the telescope. As light travels near matter/stars/etc. it also bends and warps. The same principle applies to why you see the stars apparently twinkling in the night sky. Even worse, you’d be trying to look at earth in the telescope, which in a million light year distance, is relatively on top of the sun in our solar system. To even think of looking at the lit up area of our planet, you’d have to be behind the sun looking over it’s shoulder. That won’t work out for you very well. SO, to answer your question… no, it’s not possible unless you only want to see us as a shadow in front of our own sun. But, why go 1,000,000 light years away. Just go 1 light year away and see us orbiting two years ago as a “hey, this is neat” super-expensive gimmick. ---
**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 10:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/39 "2010-09-15T10:56:41Z")
_logs off_ ---
**Author:** ![Avatar](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/avatar/32/5076_2.png) [@Avatar](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Avatar)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/coould-this-work-how-to-see-2-000-000-years-ito-the-past/160325/40 "2010-09-15T11:21:25Z")
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