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  1. #1
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    How do you measure time in space?

    So, there I was watching Farscape and then all of a sudden it hits me. How do you measure time in space? Time is a human measurement using various factors on the earth/affecting earth. For example sun dials and whatnots.

    So now my curiousity has been piqued, can anyone explain to me how you would measure time in space?

  2. #2
    The Lightbringer shadowkras's Avatar
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    You measure it using earth time, based on our sun and earth's rotation.
    People take stupidity to a whole new level when they sit in front of a computer.

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  3. #3
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    I'm thinking along the lines where you aren't near the earth/sun nor do you have any implements for earth/sun time measurement. How would you measure time then?

    I'll make it a bit more clear, I was watching Farscape at the time (still am) so my ideas are related to the protagonist's situation. It would seem a bit strange visiting another planet that has a very different time set to earth so how does your body clock adjust to that? As you travel through space, how do you view time?
    Last edited by mmocedd0d67e0c; 2011-07-30 at 02:34 PM.

  4. #4
    Bloodsail Admiral Scrabblet's Avatar
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    Do the time of Earth just transfer it to space and name it something different?

  5. #5
    Titan
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrabblet View Post
    Do the time of Earth just transfer it to space and name it something different?
    We measure time here based on the cycles of the Earth and the Earths orbit around the Sun. All time used by us uses that time schedule as a reference. Different planets would have completely different cycles of time.
    Time is relative
    Though I think atomic decay is constant, not sure if you could measure time like that though.

    ---------- Post added 2011-07-30 at 03:34 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Scotai View Post
    I'm thinking along the lines where you aren't near the earth/sun nor do you have any implements for earth/sun time measurement. How would you measure time then?

    I'll make it a bit more clear, I was watching Farscape at the time (still am) so my ideas are related to the protagonist's situation. It would seem a bit strange visiting another planet that has a very different time set to earth so how does your body clock adjust to that? As you travel through space, how do you view time?

    Some times, sci-fi has to suspend realism.
    No-one's ever been on another planet that's particularly far away, but I reckon you'd have a lot to adjust to. There might be unknown mental complications, or maybe it's just like jetlag, but in space.

  6. #6
    You measure it the same way we measure space in time!

    Measuring space in time: lightyears...the distance light travels in one year
    Measuring time in space: lightfeet...the time it takes light to travel one feet
    WoW characters that need/deserve to get killed/punished/otherwise removed from the story: Tirion(dead now), Thrall, Malfurion, Sylvanas(soon?), Jaina, Tyrande

  7. #7
    Titan Kalyyn's Avatar
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    What makes it even trickier is that time isn't a universal constant. If we stay in our own solar system its not a problem, but as soon as we start heading out, we're gonna encounter some weird shit.

  8. #8
    Now forgive my ignorance, doesn't time also slow down as we approach light speed essentially? If we ever hit those speeds for space travel, that could cause some issues in and of itself. Assuming this is correct and I'm not horribly misguided anyways.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Stuffs View Post
    Now forgive my ignorance, doesn't time also slow down as we approach light speed essentially? If we ever hit those speeds for space travel, that could cause some issues in and of itself. Assuming this is correct and I'm not horribly misguided anyways.
    Yes and no.

    For you, time proceeds as normal.

    For everyone else time proceeds a lot faster relative to YOU. They still see time as normal. So if you went out, went somewhere at lightspeed, and came back again you'd be younger than them subjectively but the same age objectively. Depending on how far you went they might not even be alive, though they would have lived a perfectly normal lifespan.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Vasti View Post
    You measure it the same way we measure space in time!

    Measuring space in time: lightyears...the distance light travels in one year
    Measuring time in space: lightfeet...the time it takes light to travel one feet

    That's distance, not time.
    Quote Originally Posted by Stuffs View Post
    Now forgive my ignorance, doesn't time also slow down as we approach light speed essentially? If we ever hit those speeds for space travel, that could cause some issues in and of itself. Assuming this is correct and I'm not horribly misguided anyways.
    Time always stays constant to the beholder, as does the speed of light. If you travel towards the sun at 2/3 speed of light, and measure the speed of the light from the sun, it will still be the same velocity as if someone on earth would measure it.

    And to answer the OP, depending on whether or not we're talking about humans traveling to another galaxy and measuring time, I believe they would messure it the exact same way we do, by measuring the frequency thingy of a select atom (can't remember which one). While on a planet, it would probably be prudent to call a "day" a revelation of the planet, just as we do on earth. How many atom frequency thingys that is will most likely be different. If keeping time on a space ship however, I see no reason to adopt a new standard, meaning a day will probably be as long as a day on earth, etc. Sunrise to sunset on ISS is 40 minutes or something, I haven't seen any mention of them having adopted a new standard based on that.

  11. #11
    Take a watch with you? A second is still a second, no matter where you go or how fast you are going.
    Last edited by dwarven; 2011-07-30 at 10:56 PM.

  12. #12
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    We meassure time on earth based on radiation emmision from caession atoms. Atomic clocks. If we ever went to outer spacetravels, we would correct that measurement with gravity and speed measurements to follow a few simple relativistic formulars (tu einstein).

    The sun rotation has nothing to do with this today.

    Edit: Is this a bad troll or?

  13. #13
    "Are you kidding me? She made the Kessel Run in less than twelve Parsecs."

    Anyone who watched the original Star Wars should know the answer :P

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Kaboomzor View Post
    "Are you kidding me? She made the Kessel Run in less than twelve Parsecs."

    Anyone who watched the original Star Wars should know the answer :P
    Haha, parsecs are used to measure distance.

  15. #15
    Stood in the Fire
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    Wiv a clock lol.

    But seriously, they use atomic clocks on some satellites that are extremely accurate. They lose sync by like a billionth of a second every year or something.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Raphtheone View Post


    That's distance, not time.

    Time always stays constant to the beholder, as does the speed of light. If you travel towards the sun at 2/3 speed of light, and measure the speed of the light from the sun, it will still be the same velocity as if someone on earth would measure it.

    And to answer the OP, depending on whether or not we're talking about humans traveling to another galaxy and measuring time, I believe they would messure it the exact same way we do, by measuring the frequency thingy of a select atom (can't remember which one). While on a planet, it would probably be prudent to call a "day" a revelation of the planet, just as we do on earth. How many atom frequency thingys that is will most likely be different. If keeping time on a space ship however, I see no reason to adopt a new standard, meaning a day will probably be as long as a day on earth, etc. Sunrise to sunset on ISS is 40 minutes or something, I haven't seen any mention of them having adopted a new standard based on that.
    the first was distance, the second was time.....if anything the only mistake I made was to replace space with distance in my reasoning, but if that concerns you, you have bigger concerns xD
    WoW characters that need/deserve to get killed/punished/otherwise removed from the story: Tirion(dead now), Thrall, Malfurion, Sylvanas(soon?), Jaina, Tyrande

  17. #17
    You can't measure time over vast distances because it's relative. Time and Space are part of the same entity, aptly called space-time. "Space" as you imagine it is not three-dimensional, but rather four-dimensional. When you are is tied to where you are, otherwise there's not perspective. In that regard, it doesn't matter where you choose to start "counting", as any arbitrary point will work.

  18. #18
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    The decay of caesium isotope 137 is used in atom watches. The decay rate is the same here or at Mars. And let's not count black holes and superfast toiletseats...

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