Why do you need two mirrors? You could put just one mirror at a distance of 30 light-seconds away and then watch yourself as you were one minute earlier. You'd need one powerful telescope to resolve anything though. But you could easily prove that it worked by comparing the image of your clock in the mirror to what it says when you look at it directly.baker27marine said:Let's say theoretically we can setup a perfect environment with two mirrors at a great distance apart. The distance is great enough to allow light to reflect off one mirror and not reach the other mirror until a full minute has elapsed. Could this in "theory" create a window to see one minute into the past?
Yes, using the definition of simultaneity that the stars we see in the sky are as they were thousands of years ago, we can look up in the sky and see them as they were thousands of years ago. There is no independent proof like there is in my previous post.Vorde said:Sure, but using this definition it's much easier to see into the past. Just look up at the stars and you're seeing them as they were thousands upon thousands of years ago.
Yes, we can see the past through various methods such as studying historical records, artifacts, and fossils, as well as using scientific techniques like radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis.
Time travel in the traditional sense is not yet possible, but we can see the past through the use of telescopes, microscopes, and other scientific instruments that allow us to observe events that occurred in the past.
No, we cannot see the past in real-time. The speed of light is finite, so it takes time for light to travel from objects in the past to reach us in the present. Therefore, what we see is always a delayed version of events that occurred in the past.
There are limitations to seeing the past, as some events may not have been recorded or preserved in a way that allows us to see them. Additionally, our understanding of the past is limited by the information that is available to us.
Studying the past allows us to learn from past mistakes and successes, providing insight into how certain events and processes have shaped our world today. This understanding can inform our decisions and actions in the present, potentially impacting the future.