The relationship of journeys to the stars and time is a dilemma for science fiction authors. The nearest star is more than five light years from Earth. To span this distance with conventional rocket propulsion systems requires more time than the average life span of a human being. If a rocketship could accelerate to a velocity approximating the speed of light (about 186,000 miles a second), the trip could be accomplished. The astronauts wearing the above watch on such a journey would observe a normal progression of seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months each time they looked at the watch. Returning to Earth, the astronauts would find the above Star Trek Deep Space Nine watch wholly inaccurate when compared to the time which elapsed on Earth during their journey. This discrepancy is explained by Einstein's theory of relativity. As one approaches the speed of light, time slows with respect to the original time frame of the launch site.