The Eclipse to Confirm the General Theory of Relativity

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/49308
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Title: The Eclipse to Confirm the General Theory of Relativity
Authors: Beléndez, Augusto
Research Group/s: Holografía y Procesado Óptico | GITE - Física, Óptica y Telecomunicaciones
Center, Department or Service: Universidad de Alicante. Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal | Universidad de Alicante. Instituto Universitario de Física Aplicada a las Ciencias y las Tecnologías
Keywords: International Year of Light | General Theory of Relativity | Eclipse
Knowledge Area: Física Aplicada | Historia de la Ciencia
Date Created: 12-Jul-2015
Issue Date: 21-Jul-2015
Publisher: BBVA OpenMind
Citation: BELÉNDEZ VÁZQUEZ, Augusto. "The Eclipse to Confirm the General Theory of Relativity". OpenMind, 21 de julio de 2015
Abstract: One of the milestones of the science of light commemorated during this International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies is “the embedding of light in cosmology through general relativity in 1915,” that is, the celebration of the centenary of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. As Adolfo de Azcárraga, president of the Spanish Royal Physics Society (RSEF), points out in his book titled Albert Einstein, His Science and His Time, Einstein’s theory contained a spectacular prediction: “light also possessed ‘weight’, i.e., it should be attracted and deflected by celestial bodies.” Since the equivalence between acceleration and gravity extends to electromagnetic phenomena and light is an electromagnetic wave, light rays should bend in the presence of a gravitational field. Einstein had already realized that the only way to experimentally verify this theoretical prediction was for a total solar eclipse to take place since this would make it possible to photograph a star near the Sun when observed from Earth without the presence of strong sunlight. Well, on May 29, 1919 there would be a solar eclipse, which would be total on some parts of the Earth’s surface and would make it possible to verify that light rays are bent by gravity.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/49308
Language: eng
Type: info:eu-repo/semantics/contributionToPeriodical
Rights: © 2015 OpenMind
Peer Review: no
Publisher version: https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/the-eclipse-to-confirm-the-general-theory-of-relativity/
Appears in Collections:GITE - FOT - Comunicación y Divulgación de la Física
GITE - FOT - Año Internacional de la Luz (IYL2015)
Docencia - Ciencias - Otros
INV - GHPO - Año Internacional de la Luz (IYL2015)
INV - GHPO - Divulgación y Comunicación de la Ciencia
Docencia - Ingeniería y Arquitectura - Otros

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