Is it possible to look into the past, using mirrors?

[McJobless]

Didn't Gavin ask that on the last Rooster Teeth Podcast?

Correct, and right until now I still think it's bullstuff.

[Ad Bot]

[blueblur121]

Correct, and right until now I still think it's bullstuff.

But didn't you look at my math and Blake's stuffty drawing?

It makes perfect sense.

[KickFlow]

but we wouldn't looking into the past. We'd be looking at a recording.

Which is in the past.

[TrainandSpacelover]

Dude, it's almost like you can only see the past cause light isn't instantaneous, mannnn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTOODPf-iuc

kind of relevant
Fixed link

it's been months since i've seen that video so i might be wrong

[ResonKinetic]

kind of relevant

it's been months since i've seen that video so i might be wrong

lol you goofed hard

[blueblur121]

[url=http://kind of relevant]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTOODPf-iuc[/url]

it's been months since i've seen that video so i might be wrong

You did that link wrong.

[ResonKinetic]

-woop nevermind-

[Ipquarx]

gonna calculate the largest possible distortion for the space mirror

The earth has a diameter of approx. 12734889m
.5 light years is approx. 4730365236290400m

maximum angle that a photon can be travelling at leaving the center of the mirror without missing earth entirely:
±0.0000000771 degrees

that means there can be no imperfections that are more than 0.00000000134565 meters high on the mirror, or in other words around 1 nanometer.

[Steve5451²]

gonna calculate the largest possible distortion for the space mirror

The earth has a diameter of approx. 12734889m
.5 light years is approx. 4730365236290400m

maximum angle that a photon can be travelling at leaving the center of the mirror without missing earth entirely:
±0.0000000771 degrees

that means there can be no imperfections that are more than 0.00000000134565 meters high on the mirror, or in other words around 1 nanometer.

We fizzled a space mirror into existence. I'm sure it'll be perfect.

An easier way to go about this is to go 1 light year away and look at the earth.

[blueblur121]

We fizzled a space mirror into existence. I'm sure it'll be perfect.

An easier way to go about this is to go 1 light year away and look at the earth.

Holy stuff, if we invented teleportation and the perfect telescope, we could see any point in the universe at any point in time.

[Blockzillahead]

in theory yes its possible
in practice its not. the mirror has to be of extreme sizes and it wouldn't even be able to fully zoom onto us. or us be able to zoom into our location on the mirror

[TrainandSpacelover]

lol you goofed hard

You did that link wrong.

oops

but anyway, that is relevant afaik

[KickFlow]

-cut-

-cut-

Why are you guys focused on how the mirror needs to be perfect, but are completely fine with the logic that I just teleported a mirror a light year away.

[Nonnel]

why would it be any different than looking at some other celestial object

oh yeah I guess we could use a could use a hubble telescope-type deal

[Ipquarx]

Why are you guys focused on how the mirror needs to be perfect, but are completely fine with the logic that I just teleported a mirror a light year away.

You don't need to teleport the mirror though, you can get it there at any speed at all and it'll still be looking a year in the past as long as it's a half light year from earth.