New Light On An Old Problem

Extract

Like many other people I find myself not having the time to do all the things that I would like to do in a day. I have always wished I could emulate the young lady in Prof. Arthur Bullers (1874-1944) limerick which was published in the December 19,1933 issue of that reputed journal, Punch:

“There was a young lady named Bright

Whose speed was faster than light.

She set out one day,

In a relative way,

And returned home the previous night.”

Well, up to now I have not succeeded in my attempts to gain time in this way, but there is hope, there is hope as I will try to make clear in a minute.

First of course, as we all know, the speed of light is finite. This was first demonstrated by Roemer in 1676, He measured the interval between successive eclipses of the intermost satellite of Jupiter (that would be lo, with its sulfur spewing volcanoes), at a time when Jupiter was close to Earth.