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[Doc]

This won't interest the majority of you, but I just have a bit of a scientific question for anyone who might have an answer. This question will go towards a very big school project I'm creating, regarding astrophysics.

Okay, let's begin:

The Earth is 1 AU (astronomical unit, which is 92,955,807.3 miles) from the Sun

The time it takes light to travel from the Sun to Earth is 8 minutes

That means that whenever we look at the sun, we see it how it was 8 minutes ago

If the sun were to suddenly go out or dissapear or whatever, we would have 8 minutes to live before we flash-freeze

Suppose we took a satellite equipped with a very powerful telescope.

We send this telescope 11,619,475.9125 miles (or 1/8th of an AU) away

This telescope is traveling at EXACTLY the speed of light (don't ask me how)

It's traveling at the speed of light to be able to view events that happened on Earth 1 minute ago

The Question: With this satellite equipped with a telescope, and zoomed in on, let's say, Sweden (a random country) will the telescope view Sweden as it was 1 minute ago (with the above conditions) or will the capability to zoom in affect the time in which it's viewing?

This was a very hard question for me to ask. I had major difficulties conveying how to ask

I'm open to any answers/suggestions

[Mike]

The Question: With this satellite equipped with a telescope, and zoomed in on, let's say, Sweden (a random country) will the telescope view Sweden as it was 1 minute ago (with the above conditions) or will the capability to zoom in affect the time in which it's viewing?

The zooming in process would be minute, it would be similar to looking into a mirror.

[Doc]

The Question: With this satellite equipped with a telescope, and zoomed in on, let's say, Sweden (a random country) will the telescope view Sweden as it was 1 minute ago (with the above conditions) or will the capability to zoom in affect the time in which it's viewing?

The zooming in process would be minute, it would be similar to looking into a mirror.

You see, what I'm asking is, even though this telescope is zoomed in, would it STILL view the place as it was 1 minute ago, regardless of being zoomed in?

Okay, here's another way of explaining it.

1. Freeze time, light waves and all

2. The satellite with a telescope is frozen in time along with its fellow light wave it's traveling with

3. The satellite views Earth (without the telescope) as it was exactly 1 minute ago

4. Now using the telescope, and zoomed in, does the telescope see the exact same thing, just closer, and not actually changing the time of what it's viewing?

I just want to be 100% positive that a telescope would view the exact same thing the naked eye would

EDITed for typos

Edited October 21, 2011 by Doc is Death

[Ethan]

In terms of optics, I the lens would view whatever it was looking towards at the same rate that it is traveling. I don't know the science/your science, but assuming that what you are saying is true (hypothetically or not), then I would assume that you are correct. The telescope would view Sweden as it was one minute ago.

[Doc]

In terms of optics, I the lens would view whatever it was looking towards at the same rate that it is traveling. I don't know the science/your science, but assuming that what you are saying is true (hypothetically or not), then I would assume that you are correct. The telescope would view Sweden as it was one minute ago.

That's what I needed to know.

Thank you.