If space really is curved...

[Shadow Conception]

I'm a noob at this stuff, and my question may not be highly technical at all, and for this, I apologize.

If space truly is curved, doesn't this mean that if I took a super-powered telescope, pointed it at any general direction in space, and looked through it, I'd see myself? This is assuming that space is curved like an ellipsoid or a sphere, and nothing else exists besides our spherical/ellipsoidal universe.

But HOLD ON, I wouldn't see myself. Light doesn't travel instantaneously. So would that mean that if the telescope is magnified at the right magnification, we'd be seeing the very place we're in a billion or so years ago?

Like, think of it as a great circle. If I start at one point and keep going (this is the light ray), I'll eventually come back to where I started.

I'm guessing that my logic's very flawed, since I have little to no knowledge on what I'm talking about. And I also just mindfucked myself by thinking about it, so help me out.

 

[bsobel]

If space is curved, they yes possibly but the size of the universe is to large for light to have reached 'back' to you yet based on the age of the universe itself.

 

[KIAman]

Also, considering the expansion of the universe is faster than light, this is impossible even if true.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: KIAman
Also, considering the expansion of the universe is faster than light, this is impossible even if true.

The expansion itself isnt faster than light, but the culmative distances created are larger.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
But HOLD ON, I wouldn't see myself. Light doesn't travel instantaneously. So would that mean that if the telescope is magnified at the right magnification, we'd be seeing the very place we're in a billion or so years ago?

There is a little merit to this thinking (not to imply it is correct), but in any event, you won't be around to see the light return in a few billion light years, give or take.

The universe is cool, though. Basically, yes, anything you see out there in deep space is like watching the past as it is happening. Freaks me out a little.

 

[lyssword]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
But HOLD ON, I wouldn't see myself. Light doesn't travel instantaneously. So would that mean that if the telescope is magnified at the right magnification, we'd be seeing the very place we're in a billion or so years ago?

There is a little merit to this thinking (not to imply it is correct), but in any event, you won't be around to see the light return in a few billion light years, give or take.

The universe is cool, though. Basically, yes, anything you see out there in deep space is like watching the past as it is happening. Freaks me out a little.

What if.. what if there is nothing out there anymore and we are only seeing the past I swear I'm not smoking any weed

 

[tcsenter]

As in...what if the universe actually began to contract 5 billion years ago and we are just 5 billion years ahead of it? Things that make you go hmm...

 

[BladeVenom]

Did this question come after watching the movie Paycheck?

 

[sjwaste]

I thought for a second you said Payback.

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: BladeVenom
Did this question come after watching the movie Paycheck?

Lol, exactly. This is the plot of Paycheck.