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Can we look at our own past?

2 points by bloodfire ↗ HN
Hi! I don’t have specific skills in Astrology but I wanted to put an idea out there anyway. I start with something we often hear when we hear about the James Webb Telescope: we look into the past.

My question would be: can we look at a mirror-like entity far deep in space in order to be able to get a picture of Earth but as it was millions years ago? Even if it’s only about its composition or its position in the universe that would be surely interesting.

6 comments

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PaulHoule
If there was some mirror already out there then we could use it like such. If we sent a mirror away at the speed of light for 1000 years (which is faster than we can send a mirror) then 2000 years from now we could look back at the mirror and see the time we sent the mirror away.
jneumann004
Assuming the mirror was traveling at light speed would it constantly show the same point in time?
bloodfire
There must already be some light bending happening in space. Question is would it be enough to look at our planet from our planet? And can we even do the maths to know when and where to look at?
accrual
My biggest concern is resolution. It's a super cool thought to imagine reflecting future light onto a present planet. Could they see it? Could they change the future with it?

Where/how to look seems secondary. It can't and won't happen in real life. If it could happen, the distances would be so vast as to be irrelevant. You couldn't resolve the future in this way. But you absolutely can in writing - go for it.