A PROBLEM IN ASTRONOMY

The age of a galaxy, from which, if a light ray takes 10000 light years to reach the earth is assumed to be 10000 years. On a deeper analysis, this seems to be incorrect on the following lines. If a light ray from a star takes 5 light years to reach the earth, the age of the star cannot be 5 light years for the following reason(s):Look at the following figure:A

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o B Let us for a moment remember the fact that the universe has been created out of a big bang. Let us further assume that the Centre of the Big Bang is at point O. We know that the universe is expanding. Let us assume that the universe is expanding like an expanding balloon. Let us take that A and B are two material points of this universal balloon which are lying inside, diametrically opposite to each other. Let us suppose that A is travelling at a velocity V1 and B is travelling at the rate of V2 away from the Centre O. Now, let us imagine that there is a light emitting source at A, emitting light at regular intervals. Let us presume that the Source emitted light after t seconds from the occurrence of Big Bang. Let us calculate the time that the light from the source takes to reach the material point B. Distance travelled by point A from the Centre O before it emitted light, travelling at a velocity V1 is V1xt. Distance travelled by point B from the Centre O for the same time t = V2xt.

While the light which is emitted by A from a distance of V1t reaches the material point B, B would have travelled further away by a factor V2xt1, where t1 is the time taken by the light to reach B. Equating distances, we get, V1xt + V2xt + V2xt1 = Cxt1 Where C is the velocity of light. t (V1 + V2) = t1 (C V2) i.e. t = t1 (C V2)/ (V1 + V2). T1 is the observed time. What is t? t is the time lapse after the Big Bang according to our assumption. By such a computation, we are arriving at the age of the material point A when it did emit light. It is clear that t1 can be equal to t only when V1 = V2 = 1/3 C. Otherwise, we cannot take the observed time in light-years as the age of the material point A in years. (The very concept of diametrically opposite points has no sense in the Astronomical volume of things but I have chosen this in an arbitrary sense. After all, where is the Centre point of this Big Bang?) Another fact to be noted here is that we can compute only V1 + V2 and not V1 and V2 separately, because we havent in the Astronomical scale a third referential static point which can tell us at what velocities A and b are moving with reference to the static point. When we say that one galaxy is receding from us, we cannot directly say whether that galaxy is static and our own moving away from it. Only, in a relativistic manner can we say that the other galaxy is moving away from us. It can be that our own galaxy is moving away and the other one remains stationary. Absolute velocities can be computed only with reference to a static point. When we say that the Galaxy A is moving away from Galaxy B, we presume that Galaxy B is stationary or moving rather very slow. At the Astronomical scale we can find velocities only in a compounded manner. That is, when we say that the velocity of recession of Galaxy is x, it need not be the absolute velocity of the Galaxy since the measuring instrument on our Galaxy which is not stationary has got the velocity of our Galaxy. Now, the picture is clearer. Time is related to the concept of velocity rather change and displacement and distance and compounded velocities give rise to one kind of notion of time whereas Absolute velocities give rise to another kind of notion of time. This is my view. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Note:- The above article has been reproduced from my notes titled Magic Moments with Mathematics which happens to be a compilation of my works done in Mathematics. This article is undated and I cant now recall what exactly had prompted me to explore this particular one.

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