According to our current understanding of physics, objects cannot travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, which is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second. This limit is dictated by the theory of special relativity proposed by Albert Einstein. As an object with mass approaches the speed of light, its relativistic mass increases, requiring more and more energy to accelerate it further. At the speed of light, the mass would become infinite, and it would require an infinite amount of energy to reach or exceed that speed.
The concept of an object traveling faster than light leads to several intriguing consequences that defy our current understanding of the universe. One of the most well-known is causality violation, where an object moving faster than light would seemingly be able to influence events in its future light cone, leading to violations of cause and effect.
Additionally, the faster-than-light travel of an object would also have implications for the structure of spacetime. According to the theory of general relativity, mass and energy warp the fabric of spacetime, causing gravity. Objects with mass or energy affect the geometry of spacetime around them, resulting in the curvature we perceive as gravity. However, the exact behavior of spacetime in the presence of objects moving faster than light is not well understood because our current theories do not accommodate such scenarios.
It is worth noting that the topic of faster-than-light travel is an area of ongoing scientific research and exploration. Various theories, such as wormholes and warp drives, have been proposed as potential mechanisms for achieving faster-than-light travel while preserving our understanding of physics. However, these theories are purely speculative at this stage, and there is currently no experimental evidence or consensus on the feasibility or properties of objects that can travel faster than light.