Did you know that eclipses, in addition to being truly spectacular events, have helped scientists understand the universe throughout history? One of the oldest examples dates back to 150 BC, when the Greeks Aristarchus of Samos and Hipparchus of Nicaea discovered it. The Moon was closer to the Earth than the Sun When observing how it passed in front of the star during a solar eclipse. Also, thanks to this discovery, they were able to make the first estimate of the distance between the Earth and the Moon. 379,000 kilometersNot crazy considering the actual number is 384,000 kilometers.
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However, the most famous eclipse of all time occurred On May 29, 1919. This solar phenomenon is not surprising since it was able to confirm the general theory of relativity of the German physicist Albert Einstein. According to his famous approach, light rays passing near the Sun must be bent by the gravitational force created by the star, which is visible only in total darkness.
General theory of relativity
Albert Einstein is a name that resonates beyond the scientific scene, and with it, one of his greatest contributions to physics: the theory of relativity. First stated in 1905 under the name of special relativity, this theory completely revolutionized the understanding of space, time, matter and energy. In an elegant formulation, Einstein introduced the idea The speed of light in vacuum is a universal constantThis in turn demolished the absolute concepts of space and time proposed by Newton many years earlier.
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This approach culminated a decade later, in 1915, when Einstein proposed his theory of general relativity, a proposition that gravity was not an attractive force between two masses, as Newton had said. Effect of curvature of spacetimeDerived from the presence of mass and energy.
However, these series of reports presented a huge challenge: Test demonstration. The theory of relativity had, until that moment, only existed in Einstein's mind and the scientific community refused to officially refute Isaac Newton's current proposals without empirical evidence. However, in 1919 came the long-awaited demonstration that established Einstein as one of the great minds in the history of science.
Photo of Einstein, the author of the Theory of Relativity.
Refuting Newton
But what exactly did Isaac Newton propose, and why did Einstein's new approach go against it? At first, Newton adopted it Space was an absolute, immutable, three-dimensional entity, which was itself and all the phenomena and movements of the universe developed. It is like a static “theatre” in which all physical events took place.
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And, in the same way, he presented a presence Regular time The entire universe flowed continuously regardless of any events or motions. According to Newton, time was unidirectional and functioned as a complete “clock” capable of measuring the duration of all events. However, Einstein challenged these theories.
The German physicist, through his theory of relativity, established that space and time are actually, Intertwined Maybe a separate entity called space-time Bends by having mass and energyGives rise Gravity and affects the movement of objects and, more importantly, the path of light. This was inconceivable to Newton: how could light, made up of massless particles, experience gravity? Isn't gravity a force limited to elements with mass?
A representative diagram of gravity as a curve of spacetime.
The most famous eclipse in history
Einstein had to wait about four years to prove that Newton was wrong, that light could be bent by the effects of heavier objects that modify space-time. And to prove his prediction, it should be noted how The light of the stars closest to the Sun is bent as it approaches it., due to its large mass. But this was possible only in a situation where the sky was dark enough to see the light of the stars during the day: a Total solar eclipse.
So, in 1919, British astronomer Arthur Eddington set out on an expedition to Prince Island, off the east coast of Africa, with the aim of photographing the stars near the Sun during a solar eclipse. Far from his intentions, however, Eddington found it The apparent positions of the stars were changedConfirms Einstein's prediction of the deflection of light due to gravity and verifies the theory of relativity for the first time.
