Why does time go faster in space than on Earth? – Teach me about science

Of course we’ve heard of the theory of relativity or space-time dilation, terms made fashionable by Hollywood, because these are real words and their function tells us why time goes by faster or slower.

There are many efforts by scientists who are responsible for studying the universe and all its mysteries, in this case, why does time go slower on Earth than in space, a question that has been asked by more than one person.

In fact, you can start by clarifying that time is relative; How fast or slow it goes depends on an array of factors.

Let’s imagine two people, one is on Earth, simply on the ground, and the other is floating in space, far away from Earth, and this is where the interesting thing begins, because time passes very quickly for someone in space. than on earth.

This phenomenon is called time dilation, and when an observer is under the forces of very fast motions or under the gravitational pull of a celestial body, the factors that define the perception of time are whether it passes slowly or quickly, as noted. Journal of Science National Geographic In an article.

Theoretically, space-time dilation occurs because it does not have flat dimensions, but is referred to as a three-dimensional mesh of space-time that can be distorted by the amount of matter or energy in the universe.

Another very clear example of the effect of time dilation is the astronauts on the International Space Station, even though they are still very close to Earth, compared to us humans due to their separation from the planet’s center of gravity. Inside it, time passes a little faster for the astronauts, almost imperceptibly, but noticeably. National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationAlso known as NASA.

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Image credit: National Geographic

Likewise, following the same logic, the space agency says that gravity is what expands this time and space. For example, the Earth and its general mass, gravity, is the same thing that keeps our feet on the ground, expanding time and space, but the Earth orbits a star with a greater gravitational force than our planet’s. Expanding temporal space even further, all this makes time pass the way we’ve experienced it for thousands of years, the more gravity, the slower time passes.

As mentioned at the beginning, these theories and terms have become very popular for Hollywood films that use real scientific information for their plots. The best and most well-known example to clarify this whole matter of relativity and space-time dilation is the movie Interstellar.

Loved by many, judged by others, but the truth is that it is recognized by many scientists in the community as one of the most accurate images of the universe on screen, as stated by the Astronomy Site. Astrobitator.

The main plot of the film is to explore some of the planets near the event horizon of the black hole, observing that time passes differently in and out of the planets. The planet may stay on Earth for 7 years.

For this, let’s remember that black holes are the most powerful and massive phenomena known, and due to the immense gravity they possess, they expand the space-time web at impressive levels. And the more gravity, the slower time passes.

So, this is the reason why time passes faster in the open universe than inside the planet, which is different for each star because each one has a different mass and therefore a different gravitational force.

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