A Vatican priest triggered an uproar across the globe in 1972 by claiming that he invented a device that could help people to travel to the past, as well as the future! At that period of time, the idea of a time machine used to exist only in science fiction.

Pellegrino Ernetti (1925-1994), a Roman Catholic priest who joined the Benedictine Order at the age of 16 and later became the most famous exorcist from Venice, had been trying to build a time machine since 1950. Twelve scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning Italian physicist Enrico Fermi and German-American aerospace engineer Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun, reportedly assisted Father Ernetti in developing the device, called Chronovisor. The Catholic priest further claimed that he witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by travelling to the past with the help of this device!

According to Father Ernetti, he also witnessed several other historical moments, including the Last Supper (the final meal Lord Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion), through the Chronovisor. The priest further claimed that he even clicked a photo of that event and kept it with him as a memento. Many used to believe that Father Ernetti made a false claim. However, the concerned authorities in the Vatican suddenly imposed a ban on research related to time travel, as well as time machines, in 1988. With this, both Father Ernetti and his Chronovisor disappeared from public domain.

Peter Krassa (October 29, 1938 – October 11, 2005, an Austrian author of para-scientific literature, penned a book in 2000, explaining the Chronovisor and some of the secrets of its creation. In his publication, titled ‘Father Ernetti’s Chronovisor: The Creation and Disappearance of the World’s First Time Machine‘, the author mentioned that the device, with two antennas mounted on it, successfully detected electromagnetic waves. Through those antennas, the device received waves from the past and also recorded sounds. According to Krassa, Father Ernetti used to project past events on a television screen in audio-visual form. Analysts are of the opinion that Chronovisor was not a time machine. They believe that the device could be compared with a mirror as the image one sees in the mirror is a few milliseconds old. It takes a few milliseconds to reach the image from the mirror to one’s eyes.

The concept of time travel or time machine is based on Albert Einstein‘s Theory of Relativity. As per this theory, time is not constant, but relative. The faster one moves, the slower time passes for the person relative to someone who is stationary. This phenomenon is called time dilation which is the core concept of the Theory of Relativity. Time travel without a time machine is only possible if one can either travel at a speed close to the speed of light or spend time in an intense gravitational field. In relativity, these two acts are essentially equivalent. However, such precise measurements are simply impossible in our daily lives.

The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting the Earth at a mean altitude of 417km above the surface of this planet at 27,580km per hour. Hence, astronauts can witness events earlier than those living on the Earth from the ISS. However, it is difficult to measure that time. Ronald Mallett, the Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Connecticut, claimed to have developed the equation for time travel. His vision for a time machine is based on what he calls “an intense and continuous rotating beam of light” to manipulate gravity. He also developed a device to mimic the spacetime-distorting effects of a black hole by using a ring of lasers.

Once, Stephen Hawking raised an important question: “Time travel might be possible, but if that is the case, why have not we been overrun by tourists from the future?” The idea of time travel has repeatedly appeared in the works of scientists, authors and historians. Indeed, people have a strange fascination with time travel. However, has anyone really travelled through time till date?

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das