We are part of a vast moving thing where our little parts move fast relative to the overall machine.Logically, the furthest universal point from the centre of the universe is where space ends and eternity starts. At that fringe, time virtually stops or becomes infinitely slow, because we cannot conceive of anything beyond the fringe of the physical universe.
Accordingly, the universe appears to be a static, stable ball to any external observer. But below the surface all kinds of things are happening and enormous energy is being expended.
Inside the system are many sub-systems and we are part of a sub-system or galaxy, called the Milky Way. Inside that are further sub-divisions, ours particular neighborhood being called the solar system: a small planetary system orbiting around a dwarf star, which we call, “the sun”.
The universe is so massive, that we have adopted measures that are relevant to our context. A meter would mean little in universal terms, where we have defined distances in terms of light years. Similarly, seconds, minutes or even hours have limited value to our own context.
Nonetheless, we use certain fixed reference points to track earth or solar time. We cannot feel ourselves going around the sun, but know that we will have 365.26 days and nights before we finish an orbit of the sun, a period that we call a year. Each time we pass through a single rotation, we mark off another day in a 365-day cycle. Thus, rotation around our axis is part of a great clock mechanism that helps us keep track of ourselves.
We use the sun to define time because it stands still whilst the rest of the solar system moves relative to that fixed reference point. However, even if we did not move at all, an equivalent period of 365.26 days would elapse to age us by one year. That introduces a point that I have been trying to make over the past few weeks. Time cannot be measured from within a system, because everything inside the system moves relatively to everything else. We need to a fixed, independent point of reference to define time.
Now of course, the sun may be static within our system, but the solar system moves within the Milky Way, which in turn wanders through clusters that are also moving through the vast expanse of the universe. To get to an absolute measure of time we at least accept the need for a fixed reference point, but the ultimate fixed reference point must be external to our universe.
Accordingly, the universe appears to be a static, stable ball to any external observer. But below the surface all kinds of things are happening and enormous energy is being expended.
Inside the system are many sub-systems and we are part of a sub-system or galaxy, called the Milky Way. Inside that are further sub-divisions, ours particular neighborhood being called the solar system: a small planetary system orbiting around a dwarf star, which we call, “the sun”.
The universe is so massive, that we have adopted measures that are relevant to our context. A meter would mean little in universal terms, where we have defined distances in terms of light years. Similarly, seconds, minutes or even hours have limited value to our own context.
Nonetheless, we use certain fixed reference points to track earth or solar time. We cannot feel ourselves going around the sun, but know that we will have 365.26 days and nights before we finish an orbit of the sun, a period that we call a year. Each time we pass through a single rotation, we mark off another day in a 365-day cycle. Thus, rotation around our axis is part of a great clock mechanism that helps us keep track of ourselves.
We use the sun to define time because it stands still whilst the rest of the solar system moves relative to that fixed reference point. However, even if we did not move at all, an equivalent period of 365.26 days would elapse to age us by one year. That introduces a point that I have been trying to make over the past few weeks. Time cannot be measured from within a system, because everything inside the system moves relatively to everything else. We need to a fixed, independent point of reference to define time.
Now of course, the sun may be static within our system, but the solar system moves within the Milky Way, which in turn wanders through clusters that are also moving through the vast expanse of the universe. To get to an absolute measure of time we at least accept the need for a fixed reference point, but the ultimate fixed reference point must be external to our universe.
(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com
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