Traveling through space at light speed may have unexpected consequences, as physicists have discovered.

One of the crucial aspects of space travel is maintaining stable communication between Earth and the spacecraft traveling at nearly the speed of light. Recent research indicates that this will pose a significant challenge for astronauts heading to other stars due to the vast distances in space. The findings of the study were published on the arXiv preprint server, as reported by IFLScience.

In the study, physicists presented two scenarios involving a spacecraft that travels to other stars at speeds close to the speed of light. Although such a vehicle does not currently exist, nothing in physics rules out the possibility of constructing one. This spacecraft accelerates at 1g.

In the first scenario, the spacecraft maintains this acceleration as it moves away from Earth. Initially, communication will function normally, albeit with some delays, but after a certain period, messages from Earth will no longer be able to reach the spacecraft. As the spacecraft gains speed and approaches the speed of light, it will consistently outpace messages from Earth. Eventually, the spacecraft will be unable to maintain any contact with our planet.

Additionally, physicists identified another unusual effect that pertains to the astronauts aboard the spacecraft. An object moving at speeds close to the speed of light experiences time dilation. Therefore, astronauts on a spacecraft accelerating at 1g could reach the center of our Milky Way galaxy, located 26,000 light-years away, in just 20 years.

In the second scenario, the spacecraft accelerates at 1g for a period and then decelerates at 1g as it approaches its destination. Communication with Earth will also be unstable, similar to the first scenario, until all messages catch up with the spacecraft during the deceleration phase. Messages will accumulate as the spacecraft nears its target.

Physicists concluded that astronauts on a spacecraft traveling nearly at the speed of light will have to forgo communication with Earth for the duration of the mission, except for a brief period after launch.