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Space is beautiful (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
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[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It'd actually be cool as fuck if we could make some kind of Paycheck-style time machine that lets you see into the past by simply looking at light reflected off other celestial objects.

It could theoretically work looking backwards, but not forwards as it was used in the film. Of course, it'd have to have insane resolution for it to be like a video of what happened on the planet and not just a dot of light.

[-] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 13 points 1 month ago

time machine that lets you see into the past by simply looking at light

You mean, this ?

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 5 points 1 month ago

lol

Real time, tho. That way we can see photographs from before cameras, too. Watch what dinosaurs were doing n stuff.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 5 points 1 month ago

Unfortunately light wouldn't remain collimated over a 33 million light year distance which is what we would need to see dinosaurs

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 points 1 month ago

How about heat? Or some other radiation? 🤔

[-] 18107@aussie.zone 4 points 1 month ago

You can also watch light move with a camera.

[-] ameancow@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Alternatively, and slightly cheaper, put a satellite into orbit and just record everything on the ground it looks at, hang onto recordings for 10 years.

[-] InnerScientist@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

But that's boring, doing it with light is way better.

Also the governments already do that and don't want to share.

[-] ameancow@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

But that’s boring, doing it with light is way better.

I get that it seems cooler, but you would be looking at recordings with gathered light either way.

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I can get nostalgia looking at my previous address on Maps because it shows my old Jetta (my first car) in the driveway :D

[-] ameancow@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Google maps is one of the only applications that has literally made cry. The other is excel for entirely different reasons.

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Google Earth/Maps in VR is pretty wild for visiting memory places.

[-] Taldan@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

As if we're not already doing that

[-] ameancow@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Exactly, you can go on Google Earth right now and view the past.

[-] icelimit@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

Wow that's what the movie was called. It's been on the back of my mind for years.

this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2025
332 points (96.4% liked)

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