3 ms·

Have you ever "played" Space Engine? Zooming around the universe with a speed approaching megaparsecs always induces a sinking feeling in my stomach and a sense

Have you ever "played" Space Engine? Zooming around the universe with a speed approaching megaparsecs always induces a sinking feeling in my stomach and a sense of insignificance, and it's a little bit what I'd imagine the Total Perspective Vortex from The Restaurant at the End of the Universe would feel like.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
hypertele-Xii 4y ago
To me it feels like home. I'd love to be a particle zooming across the vast cosmos at light speed. Some of the best dreams I've ever seen.
- pixl97 4y ago
  Unfortunately if you were moving light speed you wouldn't experience time, so it would be rather less eventful than you imagine. If you kicked it down just below light speed existence would be a bright white/blue spot in front of you.
- danbruc 4y ago
  With lightspeed you are going pretty much nowhere. If you are flying through intergalactic space zipping past galaxies you are probably at least going trillions or quadrillions times the speed of light. Even just crossing the Milkyway would take you a hundred thousand years.
  - toss1 4y ago
    >> Even just crossing the Milkyway would take you a hundred thousand years. except due to time dilation, you would just experience it as the blink of an eye (and that's assuming that you're not quite at full light speed, full light speed and it's nothing)...
    - danbruc 4y ago
      We are talking about Space Engine, there you are essentially a stationary observer. If you would actually make the trip with a very fast conventional space ship, then you obviously could not reach the speed of light but I think it would be fair for an outside observer to say that you are essentially travelling at lightspeed when you are travelling at 0.99c in which case it would still take you 14,000 years. You would have to get really close to lightspeed to make it in the blink of an eye.

3 ms·

Have you ever "played" Space Engine? Zooming around the universe with a speed approaching megaparsecs always induces a sinking feeling in my stomach and a sense

by lvncelot 4y ago

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
hypertele-Xii 4y ago
To me it feels like home. I'd love to be a particle zooming across the vast cosmos at light speed. Some of the best dreams I've ever seen.
- pixl97 4y ago
  Unfortunately if you were moving light speed you wouldn't experience time, so it would be rather less eventful than you imagine. If you kicked it down just below light speed existence would be a bright white/blue spot in front of you.
- danbruc 4y ago
  With lightspeed you are going pretty much nowhere. If you are flying through intergalactic space zipping past galaxies you are probably at least going trillions or quadrillions times the speed of light. Even just crossing the Milkyway would take you a hundred thousand years.
  - toss1 4y ago
    >> Even just crossing the Milkyway would take you a hundred thousand years. except due to time dilation, you would just experience it as the blink of an eye (and that's assuming that you're not quite at full light speed, full light speed and it's nothing)...
    - danbruc 4y ago
      We are talking about Space Engine, there you are essentially a stationary observer. If you would actually make the trip with a very fast conventional space ship, then you obviously could not reach the speed of light but I think it would be fair for an outside observer to say that you are essentially travelling at lightspeed when you are travelling at 0.99c in which case it would still take you 14,000 years. You would have to get really close to lightspeed to make it in the blink of an eye.