In 1924, physicist Anton Lampa<\/a> first posited that a moving object would seem to change shape as it approached the speed of light. Later, Roger Penrose and Nelson James Terrell independently expanded on Lampa\u2019s work, concluding that light-speed objects would appear in a rotated form, not as the compressed or distorted shapes that one might expect.<\/p>\n As stated in the study<\/a>, the team from the University of Vienna and the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (TU Wien) recreated this effect using a combination of lasers and high-speed cameras. In a paper<\/a>, Peter Schattschneider<\/a>, a researcher specializing in quantum physics and relativity: <\/p>\n \u201cIf you wanted to take a picture of the rocket as it flew past, you would have to take into account that the light from different points took different lengths of time to reach the\u00a0camera,\u201d he explained, \u201cThis makes it look to us as if the cube had been rotated.\u201d<\/p>\n High-Speed Photography and Laser Technology: Capturing the Impossible<\/p>\n One of the primary challenges of photographing light at its true speed is the sheer rapidity of its movement. At 299,792 kilometers per second, light moves far too fast to capture using traditional photography.<\/p>\n \u201cWe illuminate the object with a pulsed\u00a0laser\u00a0and take a photo after a certain delay time. Light reflected from parts of the object that correspond to the respective optical path length will appear bright in this photo,\u201d the authors said.<\/p>\n Each photograph captured a \u201cslice\u201d of light reflected from the object, and by combining these slices, the team was able to create a continuous image of the object in motion.<\/p>\n This process allowed scientists to slow the speed to just two meters per second. They observed a twisted cube, a spherical object maintaining its shape, and the shifting North Pole. These phenomena, visible only at light-speed, revealed unexpected changes in appearance.<\/p>\n A New Era for Relativity Research<\/p>\n This breakthrough in light-speed photography could revolutionize the study of special relativity and particle physics. As noted by the researchers, the same technology could be applied to study other relativistic phenomena, such as the behavior of subatomic particles in accelerators like those at CERN. <\/p>\n![\"(a)](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-Calibration-image-with-simulation-white-lines.-b-Terrell-rotation-of-a-sphere-at-0.999c.-c-Terrell.webp\")
(a) Calibration image with simulation (white lines). (b) Terrell rotation of a sphere at 0.999c. (c) Terrell rotation of a cube with simulation (white contours). Credit: Communications Physics<\/p>\n![\"Schematic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Schematic-representation-of-the-relativistic-effect-on-an-object-in-motion.webp.webp\")
Schematic representation of the relativistic effect on an object in motion. Credit: Communications Physics<\/p>\n![\"(a)](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a-Schematic-of-the-setup-with-laser-and-camera.-b-Side-view-of-the-apparatus-0.2-m-scale.-c-Frame-se.webp\")
(a) Schematic of the setup with laser and camera. (b) Side view of the apparatus (0.2 m scale). (c) Frame setup (0.2 m scale). Credit: Communications Physics<\/p>\n