Faster-than-Light Space Travel
In order to facilitate the telling of stories of far-reaching space travel, science-fiction writers have labored to come up with a variety of mechanisms for enabling faster-than-light space travel, some purely fantastical, others rooted in speculative science.
Space travel using current technology is incredibly slow by the standards of space-faring science-fiction. [Include table of speeds and travel times from Earth to Mars and Earth to Andromeda (and maybe also Pluto or Neptune)] Even if travelling at the speed of light were possible, it would take 4.2 years to travel from Earth to Proxima Centauri b, the closest known extrasolar planet.
To use the starmap, click on the map and drag to change your viewpoint. Use the mouse scroll-wheel to zoom in and out.
| Galaxy | Distance from Earth in Light-Years | Travel Time at Light Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy | 81,000 light-years | 81,000 years |
| Large Magellanic Cloud | 163,000 light-years | 163,000 years |
| Andromeda Galaxy | 2,560,000 light-years | 2.56 million years |
| NGC 2366 | 10,600,000 light-years | 10.6 million years |
| M82 | 11,500,000 light-years | 11.5 million years |
| NGC 4945 | 11,700,000 light-years | 11.7 million years |
Times and distances to travel to nearby galaxies at light speed
- Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
- 81,000 light-years
- 81,000 years
- Large Magellanic Cloud
- 163,000 light-years
- 163,000 years
- Andromeda Galaxy
- >2,560,000 light-years
- 2.56 million years
- NGC 2366
- 10,600,000 light-years
- 10.6 million years
- M82
- 11,500,000 ly
- 11.5 million years
- NGC 4945
- 11,700,000 light-years
- 11.7 million years
Obviously, means of traveling significantly faster than light-speed were a requirement for telling the fast-paced science fiction stories that are popular today. A few common means of accomplishing such speeds are hyperspace, warp speed, and the use of wormholes. Also, see this site's page on teleportation.
Hyperspeed
Hyperspeed is a somewhat nebulous concept involving the use of an alternate region of space that can connect large distances in normal space over a significantly shorter distance in hyperspace. This concept was used in the Star Wars movies in addition to plain old vanilla light speed.
Warp Speed
Most closely associated with the Star Trek franchise, warp speed involves the use of warping in the fabric of space to travel great distances by skipping large portions of the space involved. One way to think about this is to take a map and fold it so that your original location and destination are folded against each other.
Wormholes
A wormhole is a speculative structure in space based on Einstein's general theory of relativity. It's basically a tunnel that connects to different points in the structure of spacetime. These two points can be a great distance apart, but the tunnel itself may be significantly shorter. Think of it as a sort of shortcut route.