I have looked online to no avail. There is two competing answers and I am curious to know which one is right.
Someone asked me this question. If you are traveling at the speed of light can you see your reflection in a mirror in front of you?
My answer to the question is no, I would figure that in order for that to happen the light reflecting off you that would appear in the mirror must travel faster than the speed of light to actually reach the mirror (which we all know is impossible).
He says the answer is yes, that it is all relative to the current frame of reference.
Can anyone validate the correct answer with possible references?
Answer
This question cannot really be answered because you cannot travel at the speed of light. See Accelerating particles to speeds infinitesimally close to the speed of light?
If you were massless, you would always travel at the speed of light. However, in that case you would not perceive the passing of time. In relativity, the time that passes for an observer depends on the proper time. The proper time for a light-like trajectory is always zero, so photons themselves do not experience the passage of time.
If you travel very near to the speed of light - perhaps 99.9% light speed relative to Earth, you would still be able to view yourself normally in a mirror you carried with you. That is ensured by the principle of relativity, which states that all physical processes work the same way at any constant speed.
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