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Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

nature.com

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Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#3
EDIT as a commenter below has kindly pointed out, our current models indicate that the answer to this question is "no", per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLcmsjOBg

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This is all firmly outside my technical discipline, but aren't there some theories that faster-than-light travel might be achieved by bending spacetime around a spacecraft, as opposed to trying to propel the spacecraft through space?

I really want to emphasize that this is entirely speculation, but is it possible that these gravitational waves could be the "ripples" produced in the wake of such faster-than-light travel, the same way a boat travelling through a body of water leaves ripples in the water behind it?

Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#4
post #3

EDIT as a commenter below has kindly pointed out, our current models indicate that the answer to this question is "no", per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLcmsjOBg ------ This is all firmly outside my technical discipline, but aren't there some theories that faster-than-light travel might be achieved by bending spacetime around a spacecraft, as opposed to trying to propel the spacecraft through space? I really wa…

Theoretically it's impossible to travel through space at or more than speed of light. But space itself can move faster than light speed, and a warp drive would help something similar that you mentioned. That is possible theoretically. But the amount of energy or mass it needs is very high and no current technology (or in foreseeable future) can achieve it. So FTL remains a dream.

My hunch based on nothing is that we will achieve FTL no earlier than 2250.

Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#5
post #3

EDIT as a commenter below has kindly pointed out, our current models indicate that the answer to this question is "no", per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLcmsjOBg ------ This is all firmly outside my technical discipline, but aren't there some theories that faster-than-light travel might be achieved by bending spacetime around a spacecraft, as opposed to trying to propel the spacecraft through space? I really wa…

> Whereas the original discovery spotted waves originating from the collision and merger of two star-sized black holes, the most likely source of the latest finding is the combined signal from many pairs of much larger black holes — millions or even billions of times the mass of the Sun — slowly orbiting each other in the hearts of distant galaxies. These waves are thousands of times stronger and longer than those found in 2015, with wavelengths of up to tens of light years. By contrast, the ripples detected since 2015 using a technique called interferometry are just tens or hundreds of kilometres long.

Seems like they probably know where these are coming from. I imagine, like your boat analogy, that we can observe massive natural oceans swells and wouldn't notice the wake of a boat as it moves across the ocean.

Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#6
post #4
post #3

EDIT as a commenter below has kindly pointed out, our current models indicate that the answer to this question is "no", per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLcmsjOBg ------ This is all firmly outside my technical discipline, but aren't there some theories that faster-than-light travel might be achieved by bending spacetime around a spacecraft, as opposed to trying to propel the spacecraft through space? I really wa…

Theoretically it's impossible to travel through space at or more than speed of light. But space itself can move faster than light speed, and a warp drive would help something similar that you mentioned. That is possible theoretically. But the amount of energy or mass it needs is very high and no current technology (or in foreseeable future) can achieve it. So FTL remains a dream. My hunch based on nothing is that we…

> My hunch based on nothing is that we will achieve FTL no earlier than 2250.

I see you too have been forced to give PMs estimates when you don't understand the problem.

Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#7
post #4
post #3

EDIT as a commenter below has kindly pointed out, our current models indicate that the answer to this question is "no", per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLcmsjOBg ------ This is all firmly outside my technical discipline, but aren't there some theories that faster-than-light travel might be achieved by bending spacetime around a spacecraft, as opposed to trying to propel the spacecraft through space? I really wa…

Theoretically it's impossible to travel through space at or more than speed of light. But space itself can move faster than light speed, and a warp drive would help something similar that you mentioned. That is possible theoretically. But the amount of energy or mass it needs is very high and no current technology (or in foreseeable future) can achieve it. So FTL remains a dream. My hunch based on nothing is that we…

It's fun to imagine the species in x-hundred years. My college physics professor once told us that in 500 years, physics professors will still teach Maxwell's equations in the format he was showing us. And honestly, I think he's right.

Somethings we will do the same way for hundreds of years, like the wheelbarrow will still exist in 500 years as it has for likely the previous 5,000.

Otoh, I doubt we will be going faster than light this millenium.

Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#8
post #4
post #3

EDIT as a commenter below has kindly pointed out, our current models indicate that the answer to this question is "no", per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMFLcmsjOBg ------ This is all firmly outside my technical discipline, but aren't there some theories that faster-than-light travel might be achieved by bending spacetime around a spacecraft, as opposed to trying to propel the spacecraft through space? I really wa…

Theoretically it's impossible to travel through space at or more than speed of light. But space itself can move faster than light speed, and a warp drive would help something similar that you mentioned. That is possible theoretically. But the amount of energy or mass it needs is very high and no current technology (or in foreseeable future) can achieve it. So FTL remains a dream. My hunch based on nothing is that we…

Yeah the only energy source that can produce enough energy to power an Alcubierre drive (warp drive) that humanity has ever even conceived is a matter-antimatter reactor. But we don’t even fully understand matter, much less antimatter, and are pretty far from that. 2250 at the earliest is not an unreasonable estimate.

Re: Monster gravitational waves spotted for first time

#9
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Theoretically it's impossible to travel through space at or more than speed of light. But space itself can move faster than light speed, and a warp drive would help something similar that you mentioned. That is possible theoretically. But the amount of energy or mass it needs is very high and no current technology (or in foreseeable future) can achieve it. So FTL remains a dream. My hunch based on nothing is that we…

> My hunch based on nothing is that we will achieve FTL no earlier than 2250. I see you too have been forced to give PMs estimates when you don't understand the problem.

And without a later bound, so a very reasonable estimation too.
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