re: #555 filetandrelease

My understanding is that though relative it is also real, for instance, traveling at near the speed of light to the nearest start may take over 7 years for those of us here on earth, but for those on board it would be less than a year. Otherwise when they got back, we would age 14 years, they 2.
But then again, my understanding of these things is often confused.

It depends on how fast you were going. But let’s say it did take 1 year ship time and 7 years Earth time. And the closest star is 4.5 light years away, so we’ll say that is how far you went. I don’t know if all the numbers work out in terms of time dilation, but I don’t have time to check them.
You would get there, and receive a message that was sent from Earth 4.5 years before you arrived, 2.5 years after you left, but it would seem you only took 1 year in transit.
Then you come back.
You think you traveled 2 years, but everyone on Earth is 14 years older.

Strange, but true.
For a musical version, look up the Queen song “39”.