Imagine I have a telescope with strong enough zoom to observe the earth like google maps street view, if I looked at the earth very closely from 500 light years away, would I see 1524 happening in real time? Or time as it is now?
In: Planetary Science
Someone 500 light years away would see light that had spent 500 years travelling, so light generated in 1524.
That’s what a light year is — how far light travels (in a vacuum, if you’re being pedantic) in a year.
Now, chances are they wouldn’t be able to see people or cities, or detect any signs of civilization, because 500 years ago the human footprint was much less. However, they would probably be able to see oxygen in the atmosphere, which they would likely assume is a sign of life.
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