Theory of Relativity in Space: Latest science, tests and images

Latest about theory of relativity

The three winners of the latest $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. From left to right: Peter van Nieuwenhuizen, Sergio Ferrara and Daniel Freedman .
'Supergravity' Theorists Win $3 Million Physics Breakthrough Prize

By Mike Wall Published

The three architects of supergravity are getting some high-profile recognition, more than four decades after they developed the influential theory.

Particle Physics
An artist's rendering of the accretion disk around the supermassive black hole at the core of the spiral galaxy NGC 3147.
Surprise! This Monster Black Hole's Disk Shouldn't Exist

By Passant Rabie Published

Discovery of this black hole disk could provide insights regarding relativity theory.

Black Holes
The simulated galaxy visualized from above, with the dark central regions corresponding to standard forces and the bright yellow regions corresponding to modified forces.
Move Over, Einstein! 'Chameleon' Theory Provides Alternate Explanation for Cosmos Formation

By Passant Rabie Published

Scientists created a computer simulation to test an alternative theory to the evolution of the cosmos.

Astronomy
As twisted magnetic fields snap and realign, they fling particles across space at speeds approaching the speed of light. This process is called magnetic reconnection.
3 Ways Fundamental Particles Travel at (Nearly) the Speed of Light

By Elizabeth Howell Published

While it's tough for humans and spaceships to travel near light speed, tiny particles do it all the time. Here are three ways that's possible.

Astronomy
Negative photo of the 1919 solar eclipse taken from Príncipe Island. The position of the stars that were examined in the historic test of Einstein's theory of gravity are marked in this photo.
100 Years Ago, a Total Solar Eclipse Experiment Confirmed Einstein's Theory of Relativity

By Doris Elin Urrutia Published

One hundred years ago today, in the wake of the first World War, a British astronomer watched a solar eclipse for signs that a German physicist may have been right about warps in the universe.

The Sun
A photograph of the scientists' setup to measure the May 29, 1919 total solar eclipse from Sobral, Brazil. Two heliostats with moveable mirrors directed images of the sun into two horizontal telescopes.
In Photos: Einstein's 1919 Solar Eclipse Experiment Tests General Relativity

By Sarah Lewin Published

Here's how scientists verified Albert Einstein's theory of relativity using a total solar eclipse.

The Sun
Movement specialist Drew Dollaz performs a choreographed dance in sync with a graphic of ripples moving through a mesh that represents the fabric of space-time. This scene was featured in the 2019 production of "Light Falls: Space, Time, and an Obsession of Einstein" in New York City on May 22.
'An Obsession of Einstein' Dances Through Space-Time on Stage at the World Science Festival: Watch on PBS Tonight

By Doris Elin Urrutia Published

A dancer gliding across a stage was so well synced with the projection around him that the performer appeared to trigger ripples coursing through the fabric of space-time.

Astronomy
Elliptical orbits of Galileo satellites 5 and 6
Einstein's 'Time Dilation' Gets Pinpoint Measure Thanks to Wayward Satellites

By Mike Wall Published

The botched launch of two global-positioning satellites four years ago has proven to be a real gift to physicists.

Astronomy
In this illustration, a hot, dense, expanding cloud of debris gets stripped from neutron stars just before they collide.
Einstein's Theory of General Relativity Just Survived a Massive Crash in Outer Space

By Rafi Letzter Published

Once again, a decades-old theory of gravity has survived a modern scientific onslaught. Einstein wins again.

Astronomy
Gas travels around black hole
Discovery of Hotspots Circling Milky Way Black Hole Has Astronomers Excited

By Samantha Mathewson Published

The discovery of wobbling "hotspots" circling the drain of a massive black hole offers exciting new evidence for the behemoth that lies at our galaxy's center.

Black Holes
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