How Far would they have to go?

Rambler,

Actually, the degree to which the "aliens" are anthropomorphic is yet another snag. It is highly unlikely the lifeforms that evolved independently of life on Earth should turn out to be so human-like.

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I am; therefore I think.
 
Thats why I said IF the sightings are correct. I tend to be pretty sceptical of alien accounts for that very reason. But on the other hand if these beings created us, i.e. started life on earth & have since been playing genetic games then it makes sense.

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.
 
Has anyone considered the Grays to be Interstellar nomads. Like Australian Aboriginals. They travel around -- no place thay call home but during their life time they come back to known sites, kind of a life circuit. So, the Grays visited earth millions of years before. Started life, began Humanity etc, and now their back. I think a Gray would fit the interstellar nomad description. If the human species was to travel through space for millions of years they would probably evolve into something that resembles a gray. Maybe we are their genetic prototypes??????. Or a farm of organic diversity.

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work to LIVE...don't live to WORK.
 
Boris, I don't think so...

A light year is the distance light covers in a year. We cannot outrun light. These two facts would point to the conclusion that no matter how fast you go (given that the above two tennants are correct), you cannot cross the distance any faster than light.

Therefore, you cannot traverse 1 light year in less than a year. I agree that time within the ship slows down as you approach c, but it is not as clear cut as the fact implies.

Look at it this way: We accelerate our ship to .9c and, once it has achieved that velocity, we emit a pulse from a laser mounted on the bow of the vessel. The laser beam will cross the distance first from every standpoint. The beam of light takes 4 years to cross the finish line, and the ship is behind it.

If the distance is 4 light years or 400 light years, comparative to every standpoint, the minimum travel time is the length (light years) in years.

The problem is more established when referenced by the Earth, as much more time passes on Earth than on the ship, but the fact remains that you can't travel a light year in less than a year going slower than light. The math of special relativity is against it.

-242
 
242,

I'm not going to argue the point with you any more; you simply need to look at the time dilation formula (as derived in special relativity):

T' = (1-v^2/c^2)^-0.5T, where T' is time elapsed on stationary observer, v is the velocity of the object with respect to the stationary observer, and T is the time elapsed on the moving object. In other words, moving clocks slow down by a factor (1-v^2/c^2)^-0.5. In our case, set c=1, v=0.9, and you get T' = 2.29T. That means that if 4 years pass on Earth (T' = 4), then T = 4/2.29 = 1.7 years elapsed on the ship.

It is incorrect to think that from the ship's perspective it crosses a distance of 4 ly in 1.7 years. In fact, for the ship, since it's moving, length contraction occurs to precisely compensate for time dilation. From the point of view of the ship, the star is at 1.7/0.9=1.888... ly away, and is moving toward the ship at 0.9c.

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I am; therefore I think.

[This message has been edited by Boris (edited March 08, 2000).]
 
Alien,

Why are you spewing Antichrist doctrine? That is the doctrine of demons ya know? Are you a demon, or just a follower?

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You may think I'm a nut, but I'm fastened to the strongest bolt in the universe.
 
Lori, what makes you think that UFO's are demons?

We have no real proof one way or the other, as far as my understanding goes. Excuse me if I'm asking an obvoius question (don't hurt your head), but I haven't been exposed to this hypothesis before.

Personally I don't believe in demons, but I'd like to know why you do; and why you think these demons are flying around in our atmosphere.

-242
 
242,

the correct formula you are looking for is the one for time deletion : delta t = 1/sqrt(1 - v^2/c^2) delta t'
With delta t the period for the observer at rest and delta t' the period for the observer at speed v, c of course is the speed of light.
If we stick to the example of an observer flying with a speed of 0.9 c this would make our formula :
delta t = 1/sqrt( 1 - 0.9^2) delta t'
delta t = 1/sqrt(0.19) delta t'
delta t = 2.29 delta t'
So 4.4 years on earth means delta t = 4.4 years and this would give us a delta t' = 1.94 years.
So for the crew abort a spaceship that wants to bridge 4 lightyears of distance at a speed of 0.9 c, it will take a bit less then 2 years (this assumes no accelartion effects) but for the people watching on earth the spaceship's voyage will take more then 8 years because the light that carries the information that the spaceship has arrived after 4.4 years still needs 4 years to get back to us... So it 's even more dense then you first thought !

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"If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants."
Isaac Newton
 
Lori,
I'm not a demon or the devil and what
I posted does make sense if these aliens are in fact real.

P.S. With religion you don't need proof
but when it comes to ufo's and aliens
we need extraordinary evidence. I just don't know, human nature I guess.

[This message has been edited by Alien (edited March 11, 2000).]
 
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