About that Jump to Light Speed

STEM
Environmental & Science Education
by Edward Hessler


I have a small poster just to my right that reads:

SPEED LIMIT
3 x 10^8 m.p.s.
for the Universe 

IT'S THE LAW!

Sounds fast. Is fast. It is the speed limit.

However, when this speed is put in another context you gain a new appreciation of  the very large scale of space.

[Wikimedia Commons]

Riding Light is a film that simulates the journey of a photon taking a trip from the Sun to just a tetch past Jupiter. 

There are two versions, one long (45 minutes). It may make you itchy for the speedy photon to get movin'. Worth watching some of it though. It may help you gain some purchase on the sheer dimensions of space. The short version is linked in the text introducing the film. You can accompany the photon taking the same trip in three minutes. 

This film brings a new and different meaning to Living on Tulsa Time.

Happy trails!