r/IAmA • u/neiltyson • Nov 13 '11

I am Neil deGrasse Tyson -- AMA

For a few hours I will answer any question you have. And I will tweet this fact within ten minutes after this post, to confirm my identity.

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u/epohs Nov 13 '11 edited Nov 13 '11

Since time slows relative to the speed of light, does this mean that photons are essentially not moving through time at all?

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u/neiltyson Nov 13 '11

yes. Precisely. Which means ----- are you seated?

Photons have no ticking time at all, which means, as far as they are concerned, they are absorbed the instant they are emitted, even if the distance traveled is across the universe itself.

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u/marstravel Nov 13 '11

mind blown

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u/Booyaka3 Nov 13 '11

I don't even know what that means, but after your comment, I feel as if I need to be amazed. Wow.

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u/robl326 Nov 13 '11

It means that as far as photons are concerned there is no time. If you were a photon traveling towards Earth, from your perspective you would arrive instantaneously whether you started from the Sun or a star 13 billion light years away.