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smodak
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Did the 2017 eclipse prove Einstein was right or the jury is still out? I can't find any references to the new measurements and what they proved (or did not).
Huh? What's the connection?smodak said:Did the 2017 eclipse prove Einstein was right or the jury is still out?
PAllen said:So far as I know, there were no measurements of light bending for this eclipse. GR predictions of light bending have been tested so many times in so many ways there would be no point in doing them again unless someone figured out how to significantly increase precision and got funding for it. The experiments done for this eclipse primarily focused on coronal physics, for which there remain unanswered questions.
These are articles about amateurs taking on the challenge of duplicating a famous experiment. It is really cool that this is just within the grasp of an advanced amateur, but these are not experiments aimed at publishable results (though, I guess, if someone got good enough results, they could get a note published somewhere). These are certainly not serious attempts to extend the evidence for GR.smodak said:I was confused by the NASA (and other) article.
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/testing-general-relativity
https://www.livescience.com/59940-solar-eclipse-einstein-theory-of-general-relativity.html
They talk about amateurs testing GR, but somehow I took that as GR is being re validated
The 2017 eclipse provided a unique opportunity for scientists to test Einstein's theory of general relativity. According to this theory, the mass of the sun bends space-time, causing light to appear to bend as it passes near the sun. By observing the eclipse, scientists were able to measure the bending of light and confirm Einstein's predictions.
Scientists used high-resolution telescopes to observe the positions of stars near the sun during the eclipse. They were able to measure the slight deviations in the positions of these stars due to the bending of light by the sun's mass. This confirmed Einstein's theory of general relativity.
While previous eclipses have also been used to test Einstein's theory, the 2017 eclipse provided the most precise and accurate measurements to date. With advancements in technology and data analysis techniques, scientists were able to make more precise observations and confirm Einstein's predictions with even greater accuracy.
In addition to the 2017 eclipse, there have been numerous other experiments and observations that support Einstein's theory. These include the observation of gravitational lensing, the orbit of Mercury, and the detection of gravitational waves. All of these events align with the predictions of general relativity and provide strong evidence for its validity.
By confirming Einstein's theory, we have a better understanding of the fundamental nature of space and time. It also supports the idea that gravity is not a force between masses, but rather a curvature of space-time. This has implications for our understanding of the universe on a large scale and helps us make more accurate predictions and models of the cosmos.