Answer 1:
It is better to think of what happens if you are
driving near light speed, but still less than the
speed of light. Then think about what happens as
you get closer and closer to the speed of
light.
If you are in the car, then the
headlights and tail-light look like they radiate
out like normal. However, all the scenery outside
that you see will have their shape, color, and
brightness distorted, because the scenery is
moving by very fast.
If you are outside
the car, then the scenery looks normal. However,
looking at the car, all the parts of the car,
(including the headlights and taillights) will
have their shape, color, and brightness distorted,
because the car is moving by very
fast.
The view of the scenery from the
inside the car is distorted in the same way as the
view of the car from outside. This is because to
the person in the car, the scenery is passing by
really fast, while to the person outside, the car
is passing by really fast in the exact same way.
The motion is all just relative to each
other.
The specific way in which a
thing that is moving has its shape, color, and
brightness distorted depends on whether it is
moving toward you, away from you, or passing by.
For example, if you are in the car, things look
different when looking ahead, to the side, or
behind you.
Better than describing what
happens is to look at a video simulation of what
things look like. Check out this
page http://www.anu.edu.au/Physics/Searle/ for
videos on what it looks like to drive near light
speed.
There are many links on the web
for this kind of thing, just search for "traveling
near the speed of light" under www.google.com
Click Here to return to the search form.
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