Is it theoretically possible to travel faster than light?

So-called “warp drives” have been proposed before, but often rely on theoretical systems that break the laws of physics. That’s because according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, it’s physically impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light.

Do gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light?

Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by. A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space. We’ve known about gravitational waves for a long time.

Is warp travel theoretically possible?

Warp drives are theoretically possible if still far-fetched technology. Two recent papers made headlines in March when researchers claimed to have overcome one of the many challenges that stand between the theory of warp drives and reality.

Why do gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light?

The speed of gravity should equal the speed of light so long as both gravitational waves and photons have no rest mass associated with them. Gravitational waves really do travel at the speed of light!

How do gravitational waves propagate?

Gravitational Waves are, in their most basic sense, ripples in spacetime. If a star explodes as a supernova, gravitational waves carry energy away from the detonation at the speed of light. If two black holes collide, they will cause these ripples in spacetime to propagate like ripples across the surface of a pond.

What happens to gravity at the speed of light?

Answer: The short answer is no, the speed of light is unchanged by gravity. In Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, space and time can be visualized as a four-dimensional construct that gets warped under the influence of gravity.

What is the speed of gravity in space?

299,792,458 metres per second
Just as the speed of a massless particle of light in a vacuum is restricted by the Universe’s upper speed limit, the massless distortions of spacetime would also be energy zipping along at top speed. Or, to be more precise, gravity moves at 299,792,458 metres per second, a rate we can just call c.

Why is the speed of gravitational waves equal to electromagnetic waves?

Shake a mass and the change in the gravitational field — the gravitational wave — propagates at that same speed. “So the fact that the speed of gravitational waves is equal to the speed of electromagnetic waves is simply because they both travel at the speed of information,” Creighton says.

Just as the speed of a massless particle of light in a vacuum is restricted by the Universe’s upper speed limit, the massless distortions of spacetime would also be energy zipping along at top speed. Or, to be more precise, gravity moves at 299,792,458 metres per second, a rate we can just call c.

What determines the speed of a moving object in space?

In the context of relativity, whether that’s Special Relativity (in flat space) or General Relativity (in any generalized space), the speed of anything in motion is determined by the same things: its energy, momentum, and rest mass. Gravitational waves, like any form of radiation]

Does gravity travel at the speed of light?

Astronomers had waited a generation for this moment. But it was also the first-ever direct confirmation that gravity travels at the speed of light. We all know light obeys a speed limit — roughly 186,000 miles per second. Nothing travels faster. But why should gravity travel at the same speed?