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

[TrainandSpacelover]

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

a recording is the past silly

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[KickFlow]

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.

Okay go ahead and send your giant mirror up I'll wait as long as I live to see it then.

I'm saying why are you making realistic points to this when the whole topic is next to impossible

[Blockzillahead]

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.

because that's not what we are discussing lol

[Swat 3]

You guys are forgetting that it isn't technically the past, but just a recording due to light from the past that was indeed the present of the time that we made it.

So yes, we are looking into light from this moment in 2 years if it is a light year away.

[Pngu12970]

could be possible, but you would need a huge mirror/ a huge telescope to view the mirror. and have fun getting a stable orbit without anything crashing into it

[Jubel]

Fun fact, did you know light is only the fastest thing in the universe because it is a bully and will beat up anyone who goes faster than it during the Intergalaxial Universal Drag Racing Championships?

[Tokthree]

If you use a slow enough dial-up mirror then yeah, stuff's easy :).

Points for those who get that joke

[Alyx Vance]

Technically when you look in the mirror you are looking at the past appearance of yourself. Just by a very miniscule amount that isn't in the least bit significant.

[Archimedes]

I just wanted to mention that you would not see two years into the past.

First of all, if you teleport a mirror 1 light year away, and actually want to see the earth, you would have to put it against the sun's light, so all you would see is the shadowed side of the Earth.

So we'll assume that the entire Earth is lit. That means that light has been bouncing off the Earth for at least on year, unless as soon as you plopped the mirror down the Earth became illuminated.

That means that light had already been traveling in the direction of the mirror, and was already at the mirror when you dropped it. That means that the time between when the mirror was placed and when the light returns to earth is only one year.

However, if your referring to how long ago since the light originally left earth, than yes, you would be seeing two years into the past.

[Squideey]

Once you put a mirror one light year away and go back to earth to look at it, you wouldn't see earth reflected in it for two years. After two years you would be able to see one year into the past.

[Steve5451²]

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

Teleportation is the first step to time travel!

[KickFlow]

Once you put a mirror one light year away and go back to earth to look at it, you wouldn't see earth reflected in it for two years. After two years you would be able to see one year into the past.

No you would have to wait 2 years to see 2 years ago. Think about it a little longer lol I had the same mind set you have.

[Ipquarx]

No you would have to wait 2 years to see 2 years ago. Think about it a little longer lol I had the same mind set you have.

Actually you only have to wait one year, since photons are constantly coming off of the earth but it'll only take 1 year for those same 1 year old photons to reflect back to earth ;)

[KickFlow]

Actually you only have to wait one year, since photons are constantly coming off of the earth but it'll only take 1 year for those same 1 year old photons to reflect back to earth ;)

Ok so then you wait 1 year to see 2 years ago wow thats pretty cool

[Headcrab Zombie]

Ok so then you wait 1 year to see 2 years ago wow thats pretty cool

But actually getting that mirror to a position one light year away will take waaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than that

Also, since both the mirror and earth would be moving during the entire journey, I think there's probably some special relativity stuff going on here that would make it a bit off from two years