Mind-Bending Physics: Scientists Simulate an Object Moving at Nearly the Speed of Light—Here’s How They Did It
Using cutting-edge laser technology and high-speed cameras, physicists have achieved something extraordinary: They’ve recreated an optical illusion that makes stationary objects appear to move at a staggering 99.9% the speed of light—challenging our everyday understanding of motion and relativity in the process.
Einstein’s theory of special relativity (https://www.livescience.com/32216-what-is-relativity.html) famously predicts that objects moving close to light speed should appear compressed along their direction of travel—a phenomenon called Lorentz contraction. While particle accelerators have indirectly confirmed this effect, seeing it visually has remained elusive. Until now.
For the first time ever, a team of researchers has simulated this relativistic illusion in a controlled lab setting, publishing their groundbreaking findings in Communications Physics (https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1590019&xcust=livescienceus9315422779871326782&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs42005-025-02003-6&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livescience.com%2Fphysics-mathematics%2Fphysicists-capture-rare-illusion-of-an-object-moving-at-99-9-percent-the-speed-of-light). The illusion, known as the Terrell-Penrose effect, doesn’t just compress objects—it rotates them in a way that defies intuition.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Some argue this experiment is "just" an illusion, while others insist it’s a tangible demonstration of relativity’s mind-bending consequences. Where do you stand?
The Art of Faking Light Speed
"What I love most is how elegantly simple the setup is," said Dominik Hornof (https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8858-5726), a quantum physicist at Vienna University of Technology and lead author of the study, in an interview with Live Science. "With clever tricks, we can make century-old physics feel immediate—almost playful."
Of course, actually accelerating objects to near-light speeds is impossible with current technology. As Hornof explains, "Einstein’s equations show that the closer you get to light speed, the more energy you need—to the point where it becomes practically infinite. That’s why even particle accelerators, our most powerful machines, can only push tiny particles like electrons to these velocities."
So how did the team pull it off? Through a brilliant workaround. They took a 3-foot (1-meter) cube and bombarded it with laser pulses lasting just 300 picoseconds (a tenth of a billionth of a second). A specialized "gated camera" captured each fleeting reflection, creating a series of ultrathin "slices" of the cube frozen in time.
And this is the part most people miss: After each laser pulse, they virtually moved the cube forward by 1.9 inches (4.8 cm)—the distance it would’ve traveled at 80% light speed in that split second. By stitching these slices together, they generated a snapshot of a cube seemingly hurtling through space.
"The magic is in the geometry," Hornof said. "The object never actually moves, but when you assemble the slices, your brain interprets it as ultrafast motion."
For an even more dramatic effect, they repeated the experiment with a sphere, adjusting the virtual movement to 2.4 inches (6 cm) per step to simulate 99.9% light speed. The result? The sphere appeared bizarrely rotated, as if the camera could peer around its edges.
Why This Doesn’t Break Physics (But Does Bend Your Mind)
"The rotation isn’t real—it’s a trick of perspective," Hornof clarified. While special relativity does physically compress fast-moving objects, cameras don’t capture this directly. Instead, because light from the rear of the object arrives later than light from the front, the combined image appears rotated. This subtle distinction keeps the Terrell-Penrose effect perfectly aligned with Einstein’s theory.
Controversy Alert: Could this illusion have deeper implications? Some theorists speculate that such effects might influence how we perceive distant, high-speed celestial objects. Others dismiss it as a neat parlor trick. What’s your take?
"When we crunched the numbers, the precision of the geometric alignment was almost poetic," Hornof recalled. "Seeing those images—it felt like watching relativity come alive."
About the Author
Larissa G. Capella is a Washington-based science journalist with a rare dual background: a bachelor’s in physics and another in creative writing. Her work, featured in Eos, Science News, and Space.com, thrives at the intersection of hard science and storytelling. Whether covering climate change or quantum quirks, she’s driven by one question: How can we make the universe’s wonders feel human?
