The speed of light may have been MUCH faster in the past, but WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Who cares? You do. Here's why.

Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not. This maxim from Galileo Galilei is part of the basis of modern science. The work of a scientist is to make things measurable and devise tests. Such a test has now been developed for a possible modification to Einstein's theory.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- According to Albert Einstein, the speed of light is constant in a vacuum. Light travels 186,000 miles per second. At this speed, it takes light from the Sun eight minutes to reach Earth. From the nearest stars, it takes over four years, from the nearest galaxy, 2.5 million years.

This value is virtually sacrosanct and is part of the underpinning of modern physics. Every test so far has supported this value. Knowing this value to be true, we are able to infer many things about the universe. However, there's a paradox.

Theoretically, we should be able to see to the edge of the universe. Imagine looking east (for the record, there are no directions in space) and seeing the oldest objects we can detect at about 13 billion light years distance. Let's call this object A. Now if we look the opposite direction, to the west, we will also see an object at 13 billion light years away. Let's call this object B. 

How does object A see object B when they are 26 billion light years apart? How is it we can see 26 billion light years of space when the universe is only 13.8 billion years old? There is no reason to think we are at the center of the universe, it merely appears we are because of the expansion of the universe.

The only solution to the paradox is that the speed of light has not always been constant. In the early universe, the speed of light may have been much higher than it is now. Yet modern physics only works on the assumption that the universe is uniform, and the same throughout. This has scientists working to develop a new theory to explain the phenomenon.

The good news is a test has finally been devised to determine if the speed of light has always been constant in the vacuum of space. The test involves a look at the cosmic microwave background radiation. This radiation is the afterglow of the big bang. It is similar to the heat left on your chair after you get up. This radiation is very faint, but detectable.

A new experiment will be able to measure this radiation and help the scientists formulate what they call a "spectral index." The values they observe will tell them if the speed of light has always been constant, or if it may have been much faster at one time.

According to theories of the Big Bang, the universe expanded exponentially fast, much more rapidly than the speed of light. This is called the "inflation theory." While scientists are fairly sure the universe formed from the Big Bang, the precise mechanics of how remain somewhat of a mystery.

If the experiment shows that light traveled faster in the primitive universe, then key parts of Einstein's they will need to be revised.

So, why do you care? Einstein's theories, such as relativity, and the notion that time moves at different rates for objects based on gravity and and velocity is why our satellites work. The satellites that beam down our sports scores, GPS signals and weather reports have internal clocks that they depend on for operation. Without regular adjustments that take Einstein's work into account, these satellites would not work.

So without esoteric science like this, we would not enjoy the modern conveniences we enjoy today.

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