Yes, are two ways of looking at it, from photon's point of view and from our point of view.
Since they travel at the speed of light - then no time passes for them. So - they aren't going anywhere. When you look at the Andromeda galaxy - you are literally looking backwards in time. You are looking at it with photons that haven't spent any time at all in their own timeline getting from the Andromeda galaxy to you.
But on the other hand - to us - then they are traveling at the speed of light. In electromagnetic theory then this is due to the duality of electricity and magnetism - and the way that a changing magnetic field causes electrical fluctuations - which in turn cause changing magnetic fields - which in a kind of cascade effect leads to a propogating wave.
But according to quantum mechanical ideas - you can also think of them as "particles" - that have "zero rest mass" - if you could stop them from moving somehow - which is impossible - then they would have zero mass. But, traveling at speed of light - they have small but finite mass.
Most particles can't travel at the speed of light because of the way mass increases as you go faster, and at speed of light they would have infinite mass.
That's just a rough idea about it all - I'm no expert on it.
Since they travel at the speed of light - then no time passes for them. So - they aren't going anywhere. When you look at the Andromeda galaxy - you are literally looking backwards in time. You are looking at it with photons that haven't spent any time at all in their own timeline getting from the Andromeda galaxy to you.
But on the other hand - to us - then they are traveling at the speed of light. In electromagnetic theory then this is due to the duality of electricity and magnetism - and the way that a changing magnetic field causes electrical fluctuations - which in turn cause changing magnetic fields - which in a kind of cascade effect leads to a propogating wave.
But according to quantum mechanical ideas - you can also think of them as "particles" - that have "zero rest mass" - if you could stop them from moving somehow - which is impossible - then they would have zero mass. But, traveling at speed of light - they have small but finite mass.
Most particles can't travel at the speed of light because of the way mass increases as you go faster, and at speed of light they would have infinite mass.
That's just a rough idea about it all - I'm no expert on it.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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