Visualization Mode
🌍 Earth (Stationary)
00:00:00
🚀 Spacecraft (Moving)
00:00:00
0.50c
γ = 1.155 (time slows by 15.5%)
299,792,458
m/s (exact, by definition)
~134ms
NYC ↔ Tokyo round-trip minimum
38μs/day
GPS satellite time drift
11km/day
GPS error without relativity
Velocity
γ = 1/√(1 - v²/c²)
Lorentz factor — time dilation multiplier
Latency Routes
Why c Limits Computation
Distance = Latency.
A 30cm wire ≈ 1–2 nanoseconds (signal travels at ~0.6–0.7c in copper).
This is why CPUs are small.
This is why we need edge computing.
This is why Mars colonies will have their own internet.
You cannot compute faster than light can carry the answer.
A 30cm wire ≈ 1–2 nanoseconds (signal travels at ~0.6–0.7c in copper).
This is why CPUs are small.
This is why we need edge computing.
This is why Mars colonies will have their own internet.
You cannot compute faster than light can carry the answer.
GPS Without Relativity
~11 km
Position error per day
~1 m
With relativistic correction
GPS satellites experience:
• -7 μs/day (special relativity: motion)
• +45 μs/day (general relativity: gravity)
• Net: +38 μs/day faster than Earth
• -7 μs/day (special relativity: motion)
• +45 μs/day (general relativity: gravity)
• Net: +38 μs/day faster than Earth
Minimum Latencies
| Route | Min RTT |
|---|---|
| Same rack | ~0.5μs |
| Same datacenter | ~0.5ms |
| Cross-continent | ~30ms |
| Antipodal | ~67ms |
| GEO satellite | ~600ms |
💥 HOLY SHIT MOMENT
"The speed of light isn't just a speed limit—it's the speed of causality. Effects cannot precede causes. This is woven into the geometry of spacetime itself."