What's the Fabric of space made out of?

While I certainly don't have even a beginning grasp of today's physics I can still remember way back in the late fifties when our master first introduced us to Non-Euclidian Geometry. Trying to understand (however poorly) the various branches of non-Euclidian Geometry, one where the sum of the angles of a triangle are always <180^o and the other where the sum of the angles of a triangle are always >180^o was, to say the least, intimidating yet for a young high school kid, exhilarating.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I remember seing a great video once on just this subject. It involved a man on a running horse riding along a path that has a ruled border. There is a vertical white line (or it may have been a pole attached to the far side of the horse, I can't quite remember).As the rider swept along the path he dropped a large ball. The ball fell to the ground but remained in line with the post. However, the point of impact was considerable further along the ruled border to the path.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Actually, I found it interesting because it showed both references. Since the ball stayed in line with the vertical post (or line, I can't remember which), it showed the perspective of the rider as well as the perspective of the person standing on the ground.But are there really two lines, or do we only perceive the line based on our point of reference?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I was lucky enough to have been around during the period when there were still steam engines. As a child I would often wander down to Camden Yard. Generally, when they found a child wandering around the switching yard they would run them off, but because I was persistent I eventually was taken underwing by some of the brakemen and engineers.If you have never visted the Round House at Camden Yards you have missed visting the Cathedral of Our Lady of Industrial America. The Round House, as implied, is a large round building. Inside, completely within the confines, is the turntable. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in the cab of an Allegany (the heaviest, most powerful steam locomotives ever built) as it was run into the Round House. Once we were fully on the turntable the machinery went to work and revolved the world outside until we were aimed 180^o from our original direction.I know for a fact that it was the world outside that moved since I remained stationary in the cab.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

But that's exactly what did happen?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

If you ever do get a chance to visit Camden Yards and the B&O Museum, it is well worthwhile and a great lesson in relativity. And when you're done, walk a ways down to Pier One Pratt Street and visit the Aquarium.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

One thing Phatt asked was "How do we know that it's still there?"While we can calculate an objects path based on current and past observations and projecting those into the future, is there actually any way to tell is something we observe is actually there at this time from our frame of reference? Are we relying on the fact that those things we can see at extreme distances are not individual objects but rather conglomerations so that the collection is likely to still exist even though individual elements may have be destroyed or added?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

To keep this simple, let's assume a frame of reference at the time of observation and location of the observer.When we look at a distant object are we seeing it as it was in the past?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Okay.Sticking with the same reference point, the Andromeda Galaxy is a composite of many objects and it is difficult to resolve down to individual units. If we had the capability of resolving individual units, and we returned 2.9 Million years from now, would we find that some of the individual objects were missing, and that there were new objects that we did not see in the initial observation?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Okay. Thank you. Hate to bother you with this but my syns apsed.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Two people are on seperate trains. Each looks out the window and finds he is looking into the eyes of the other. The line of site between the two pair of eyes is constant, neither approaching or moving away.Is that the same scenario as looking at a distant galaxy with no shift, neither red or blue?If that is the case, would it not require that the two objects, train vs. train or us vs. distant galaxy, be traveling at exactly the same speed and vector in relation to each other?Can one object move at a different speed in relation to a second object without either approaching or receding?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion