Einstein Was Right (Again)! General Relativity Passes Another Test

[Judi Lynn]

Einstein Was Right (Again)! General Relativity Passes Another Test
By Charles Q. Choi 5 hours ago Science & Astronomy

This one involved the Milky Way's supermassive black hole.



An artist’s illustration of the star S0-2 as it passes by the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center. As the star gets closer to the supermassive black hole, it experiences a gravitational redshift that is predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity.(Image: © Nicolle R. Fuller/National Science Foundation)


By analyzing the extraordinarily strong gravitational pull of the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way on a star near it, astronomers have shown that Einstein's ideas about space and time still hold true as the best description yet of how gravity works.

According to Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity results from how mass warps space and time. The greater an object's mass, the stronger its gravitational pull.

Scientists have largely tested general relativity's predictions in relatively weak gravitational fields, such as those on Earth and in the solar system. In the presence of much stronger gravitational fields — such as those of the supermassive black holes thought to lurk in the hearts of virtually all large galaxies — researchers might discover violations of general relativity that could lead to new theories that might help explain cosmic mysteries such as dark matter and dark energy.

"Einstein's right, at least for now," said Andrea Ghez, a co-lead author of the research and astronomy professor at the University of California Los Angeles, in a statement. "Our observations are consistent with Einstein’s theory of general relativity. However, his theory is definitely showing vulnerability. It cannot fully explain gravity inside a black hole, and at some point we will need to move beyond Einstein's theory to a more comprehensive theory of gravity that explains what a black hole is."

More:
https://www.space.com/supermassive-black-hole-gravity-einstein-relativity.html?utm_source=notification

[qazplm135]

1. this Einstein guy has promise

keep on the lookout for him.

[AJT]

2. I saw him having lunch with Frederick Douglass the other day...

[qazplm135]

3. they are both being talked about

more and more each day.

[AJT]

4. People are saying....