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orgthingy
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i remember in middle school that the light can NEVER be bend! I've just read a book " a briefer history of time" by : s.hawking... (im in high school now) but i really didn't understand y! :P
Wait until he gets to college--then he'll really be pissed. :tongue2:HallsofIvy said:Why does that make you so angry?
Doc Al said:Wait until he gets to college--then he'll really be pissed. :tongue2:
A.T. said:Is it possible to send out a light beam, that returns to the emitter due to space curvature?
daniel_i_l said:I'm pretty sure that it's 1.5 times that Schwartzchild radius.
Doc Al said:Wait until he gets to college--then he'll really be pissed. :tongue2:
pervect said:Yes, the photon sphere is at 1.5 times the Schwarzschild radius, and at the photon sphere light can orbit a massive body.
A.T. said:Thanks for your answers. The reason that I asked this, is the statement that "light follows the shortest path from point to point".
This is maybe true locally, but if a photon send out from point A orbits a massive star and arrives back close to point A, then this is certainly not the shortest path between two points globally. The shortest path between two points, is always a geodesic. But not every geodesic is the shortest path.
One could say: "Light follows the straightest path from a point in a given direction"
The concept of light being bound by gravity refers to the idea that light, as an electromagnetic wave, can be affected by the gravitational force of massive objects. This means that light can be bent or distorted as it travels through space near a massive object, such as a star or a galaxy.
Yes, there is strong evidence to support this theory. One of the most famous examples is the observation of gravitational lensing, where the light from distant objects is bent and distorted by the gravitational pull of a massive object in between the light source and the observer.
The concept of light being bound by gravity has a significant impact on our understanding of the universe. It helps explain the behavior of light and other electromagnetic waves in the presence of massive objects, and it also supports the theory of general relativity, which is crucial for our understanding of gravity and the structure of the universe.
No, according to our current understanding of physics, light cannot escape the gravitational pull of a black hole. The extreme gravitational force of a black hole is so strong that even light, which has no mass, cannot escape its grasp.
The concept of light being bound by gravity has several implications for space travel. It can affect the trajectory of spacecraft and satellites, and it also plays a significant role in the design and operation of gravitational wave detectors, which are crucial for studying the universe. Additionally, understanding how light behaves in the presence of gravity is essential for developing theories and technologies for future space exploration.