Re: [Phys-l] Starlight

[Tom Sandin <sandint@ncat.edu>]

I remember reading somewhere that this was a question Einstein 
wondered about as a teenager. If Maxwell says an em wave keeps itself 
in existence (after leaving its source) by having its oscillating 
magnetic field induce an oscillating electric field and its 
oscillating electric field induce an oscillating magnetic field, how 
can this be if you move with the em wave and see the fields as 
constant?
That's the sort of thing Einstein was thinking about as a teenager. I 
was thinking about girls and sports-one of the many reasons I am no 
Einstein.
Tom Sandin

At 7:26 AM -0400 10/27/10, Josh Gates wrote:
> http://www.xkcd.com/811/
>
> So... how oscillations of the magnetic and electric fields does the 
> light "see" during the journey?  None?  I know that what looks like 
> a B field to one looks like an E field to another, but what about 
> the oscillating fields of a light wave - what do they look like to 
> the light?
>
> Thanks,
> Josh
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