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heavy_metal t1_j10ul43 wrote

>Even at the speed of light, it would still take 4 years to travel to the nearest star system

false. at the speed of light, the trip would be instantaneous for a traveler. at 1g acceleration (plus deceleration halfway): 3.6 years to proxima system. traveling the entire diameter of the milky way could be done in 12 years. double that if you want to decelerate to a stop lol.

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MysteryMystery305 OP t1_j1151vw wrote

Alpha Centauri is 4 light-years away, right? And a light year is how long it takes light to travel one year. So traveling at the speed of light, it would take 4 years.

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heavy_metal t1_j11857l wrote

from the perspective of a photon, it is instantaneous. from a observer's "planetary" frame, it takes 4 years. when you are in a ship going fast, time it takes to get where you going shrinks. special relativity :)

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