Man has always considered space a mystery that must be solved, and he eagerly aspired to discover it throughout the ages. He also fought the battlefield of proving hypotheses with strong arguments, measurements, mathematical equations, and genius physical laws, at the hands of the most intelligent scientists.
While he did not let the theories that he proved limit his imagination, which are inhabited by galaxies, meteors, and objects, but rather expanded and developed them until he reached what we believe are firm facts in our time. Perhaps one of these interesting facts is related to time in space, which raises many questions about its impact on the lifespan of astronauts. This article will reveal to you the most important secrets of time in space, starting with the history of theories related to it.
Classical understanding of time in space
Space and time were unrealistic concepts for the philosopher Zeno, who lived in the time period from 262 to 344 BC. In his opinion, they are not concretely measurable. These hypotheses have been considered purely metaphysical. As Zeno was convinced that the term “empty space” is nothing but an oxymoron; How can something be empty and exist!
Zeno preceded in the year 450 BC the first Greek atomic scientists; Leucippus, the founder of the atomic theory, who said that space exists, but independently of matter, and put forward his famous example of the space between the atoms of matter to confirm the existence of this space. Aristotle also came to refute what Zeno talked about, and emphasized that the use of relationalism (linking concepts and deduction without experiment) did not add anything to our concepts of space and time.
As for the philosopher Lucretius, who is one of the greatest Roman philosophers, he was the first to seriously raise the idea of time related to relationships in the fiftieth year BC, when he said in his book “The Nature of the Universe” that “time in itself does not exist, but it should not be. That is, anyone can feel time by itself, regardless of the movement of things.
And people used to think that “space-time” is a fixed-dimensional frame that contains all the events in the universe. We can imagine space-time as a place where everything happens, from the movement of planets to changes in weather. But at that time, there was no scientist who had a concept that could take root in people’s minds.
Einstein’s theory of relativity
At the beginning of the twentieth century, German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein introduced the general theory of relativity. In doing so, he updated our understanding of space-time. Rather than conceiving of space-time as a fixed frame, Einstein explained that mass and energy distort space-time and affect the motion of things in it; We can conceive of space-time as a flexible canvas that tilts and bends under the influence of the objects in it. This distortion affects the way light travels and the movement of objects in space.
Is time on earth different from space?
And if you are wondering if time differs on Earth from space; The factors explained by the theory of relativity answer this question with a “yes”! The theory of relativity explains the factors that made time in space differ from time on Earth. So that this theory led to the theory of time dilation, or time slowing down, which explains that there is a difference in the flow of time between Earth and space, due to the effects of gravity and relative speed.
The presence of mass and energy in a specific region also affects the time in that region, according to the theory of general relativity. For example: when there is a massive mass such as planets or black holes, time is distorted in its surroundings.
As a result, there is a difference in the flow of time between regions of different gravity. In addition to the movement of the body at a relatively high speed, a slowdown in the flow of time can occur with respect to another body in a state of relative rest, and this concept is known as “relative time slowing down”.
While the difference in time is measured by atomic clocks in laboratories. Let’s put it simpler.
The factors that the theory of relativity attributed to the difference in time between Earth and space are:
1. The effect of relative velocity: When objects move in space at high speeds, the effect of relativistic time occurs, which means that the flow of time varies depending on the speed of the moving object. Therefore, when an astronaut is in a spacecraft traveling at high speed, his hours will pass more slowly compared to those on Earth.
2. The Effect of Gravity: Gravity in space also affects the flow of time. For example, in the near field of massive mass such as planets or stars, time is distorted slightly, resulting in a difference in the flow of time compared to regions of space that are devoid of strong gravitational influences.
3. Measurement and coordination: The issue of determining time in space is a challenge, as there are several systems for measuring time such as the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Space agencies such as NASA and other space agencies also collaborate to standardize time measurements.
The time difference between Earth and space
But does human age change in space? Time passes slower in space than it does on Earth, so astronauts return to Earth looking younger than they would have been if they had spent their time in space, on Earth instead, which means they had less time in space. of time on Earth, measured in terms of the speed at which they were moving through space.
But time in space is not only limited by time, but by the achievement of the astronaut when he climbed on a perilous journey, to contribute to the journey of discovering the most exciting mystery of all: outer space.
This is what the two Saudi pioneers aspire to achieve. Rayana Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni on their current journey into space with a historic mission. We were keen on Al-Arabiya channel to meet them before it to know what they feel, and what role they will play during it.
Source: Al-Arabiya.net
