posted 10-22-2004 11:03 AM
Einstein's view of space as warped is confirmedEarth's spin warps space around the planet.
Space.com reports that Earth's spin warps space around the planet, according to a new study that confirms a key prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity.
After 11 years of watching the movements of two Earth-orbiting satellites, researchers found each is dragged by about 6 feet (2 meters) every year because the very fabric of space is twisted by our whirling world. The effect is called frame dragging. Here's how it works:
Any object with mass warps the space-time around it in much the same way as a heavy object deforms a stretched elastic sheet. If the object spins, another distortion is introduced, in the same way as the elastic sheet would be twisted by a spinning heavy wheel on it.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/warp_space_041020.htmlx
posted 10-22-2004 11:03 AM
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