Why is light traveling at the specific speed of 186,000 miles/sec?

Light travels about 186,000 miles/sec. in a vacuum. Why this speed, and not some other speed? This is a great, simple, question that touches the heart of modern physics. The simple answer is that we don’t know. The speed of light, c, is one of the “constants of the Universe” that we can measure, that … Read more Why is light traveling at the specific speed of 186,000 miles/sec?

Would the constellations we see from Earth look any different from other planets in our solar system?

Would the constellations we see from Earth look any different from other planets in our solar system? In other words, would the “Big Dipper” still be recognizable as such? Great question! The stars that we see and that make up the constellations are distributed in three dimensions more like blueberries in a muffin than like … Read more Would the constellations we see from Earth look any different from other planets in our solar system?

Is it possible to colonize and terraform Mars at the same time?

Given the recent discovery of the presence of liquid water on Mars, how likely do you think the possibility of terraforming is? (I know that part’s open-ended, but stick with me.) Can you postulate a method to begin colonization and terraforming simultaneously, or would humans have to wait the (presumed) hundreds—if not thousands—of years for … Read more Is it possible to colonize and terraform Mars at the same time?

Is there is a policy to not send probes anywhere that conditions might support life?

Is it true that there is a policy to not send probes anywhere that conditions might support life? To my knowledge, there is no policy that explicitly prohibits sending a probe to potentially habitable extraterrestrial environments. Mars is a prime example, and probes have been sent there for decades now. It will be something similar … Read more Is there is a policy to not send probes anywhere that conditions might support life?