arXiv · 1102.4420
The Apparent Velocity and Acceleration of Relativistically Moving Objects
Abstract
Although special relativity limits the actual velocity of a particle to $c$, the velocity of light, the observed velocity need not be the same as the actual velocity as the observer is only aware of the position of a particle at the time in the past when it emits the detected signal. We consider the apparent speed and acceleration of a particle in two cases, one when the particle is moving with a constant speed and the other when it is moving with a constant acceleration. One curious feature of our results is that in both cases, if the actual velocity of the particle approaches $c$, then the apparent velocity approaches infinity when it is moving toward the observer and $c/2$ when it is moving away from the observer.
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Austen Berlet, Dennis G. C. McKeon, Farrukh Chishtie, Martin Houde. 2011-02-22. The Apparent Velocity and Acceleration of Relativistically Moving Objects. https://doi.org/10.1139/p11-051
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