Can we travel to any other galaxy?

Question

Ivy Allen · Accepted Answer

We have not even traveled to another planet in Solar system..Man have only reached Moon the satellite of earth .With present technology it is impossible.to go to another galaxy.

The distance between our galaxy and the nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is approximately 2.5 million light years; even if we were to travel at the speed of light, it would take 2.5 million years to get there. The maximum distance that human-made probes have traveled is approximately 23 kilometers per second, while the speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per second.

Lydia Allen · Answer

If we could construct a spacecraft that generates #1#g acceleration for #28# years, then that would be sufficient to reach the Andromeda galaxy. (Figures from Wikipedia article on Special Relativity).

The time experienced by the traveler would be shorter due to the time dilation effects of special relativity, even though a trip to the Andromeda galaxy would be limited by the speed of light. For example, if a ship that provides #1#g acceleration accelerated for #14# years towards Andromeda, then decelerated for #14# years for the second part of the journey, that would be approximately sufficient to travel the #2# million or so light years to Andromeda. From the perspective of an observer on Earth the journey would take #2# million years and any message the traveller managed to send back would take #2# million years to return, but the traveller would only age by #28# years on their journey. A suitable power source to sustain #1#g acceleration for #28# years would probably have to be nuclear in nature. Apart from that, the traveller would be exposed to a lot of radiation from collisions with particles, let alone the likelihood of eventual collision with larger objects at very high speed (at least while in galactic space). For those left behind, such a journey would likely be of little practical use. What about travel that is faster than the speed of light (FTL)? Our current understanding of physics makes possible mechanisms for time travel beyond light problematic because they violate causality. However, what about traveling through a wormhole or similar structure? The theoretical models for wormholes that have been constructed up to this point tend to collapse when there is even the slightest hint of the possibility of information traveling faster than light.

Lydia Allen · Answer

undefined Currently, human technology does not allow for travel to other galaxies due to the immense distances involved and the limitations of our propulsion systems. The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way, Andromeda, is about 2.5 million light-years away. Traveling at the speed of light, it would still take 2.5 million years to reach it. Additionally, our current understanding of physics suggests that faster-than-light travel, which would be necessary to traverse such vast distances within a reasonable timeframe, is not feasible according to our current scientific knowledge. Therefore, while intergalactic travel may be a topic of speculation in science fiction, it remains beyond our technological capabilities at present.