High School Proposed Experiment - Speed of Light

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the hypothesis that light may experience a form of Gravity Assist, similar to massive objects, by altering its frequency when passing near massive bodies like Mercury or Venus. The proposed experiment involves using a spectroscope to measure frequency shifts of light from stars as Mercury moves towards and away from them. Participants confirm that while light's speed remains constant, its frequency can change due to gravitational influences, a phenomenon that has been observed with radio waves in the solar system. The consensus is that further experimentation is necessary to validate these effects on light.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Gravity Assist in orbital mechanics
  • Familiarity with light frequency and wavelength concepts
  • Knowledge of spectroscopes and their applications in astronomy
  • Basic principles of general relativity and spacetime curvature
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of "gravitational redshift" and its implications
  • Study "Shapiro time delay" and its relevance to light behavior in gravity wells
  • Explore the use of spectroscopes in astrophysical observations
  • Investigate previous experiments confirming frequency shifts of radio waves near massive bodies
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, physicists, and researchers interested in gravitational effects on light, as well as those exploring the implications of these phenomena in cosmology and astrophysics.

  • #31
Huh...not sure why this flagged as new.

In addition to the fact that this is unnecessary (has been observed elsewhere under better conditions), and likely too small to see, let me point out another problem: the kinematics of gravity assist are the same as for reflection. Good luck seeing the effect you want over a reflection background that's a zillion times bigger.
 

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