One thing that has, and always will fascinate me is Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, or more specifically, time dilation.
You might be wondering; what the hell is time dilation?
Well, time dilation is the slowing down of time due to gravitational fields or traveling at extremely high velocities.
Basically, that means that the faster you move, the slower time flows for you relative to everyone else. The same thing will happen if you are near a significant source of gravity (such as a neutron star or black hole).
But, as I mentioned earlier, time dilation is relative. If you were on a ship traveling near the speed of light, everything would appear normal to you. You wouldn’t move in slow motion. To you it would appear that everything outside your frame of reference (which is your perspective at your velocity) is aging quicker.
This gives rise to an interesting thought to me. Think about all the motion you’re currently experiencing.
You may be moving in a car, or walking somewhere.
You are also moving along the Earth’s axis as it rotates.
You are also moving along the Earth’s rotational path around the Sun.
You are also moving around the rotational axis of the Milky Way, around the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A.
And finally, you are also moving towards the galaxy Andromeda, along with the rest of the Milky Way.
Picture all of those different vectors and degrees of motion you’re experiencing.
Now imagine how time must be flowing for us compared to say, an outside observer who is stationary relative to the Milky Way.
To me, that is certainly a fascinating fact.