1915 and the theory of General Relativity:
In 1911, Einstein starting talking about the idea that space is curved. In 1915 Albert Einstein put fourth a theory that mass, or a large object, like the sun, will cause space or light to curve. This was called the theory of general relativity. Among scientists this was a ground breaking idea. But could it be proven?
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The total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919:
The sun is too bright to see stars during the day. But during a total solar eclipse it’s dark and the sun is still up in the sky. English astronomer, Sir Arthur Eddington, traveled to western Africa in 1919 to test Einstein’s theory during an eclipse. If true, as the moon covers the sun’s light, the stars near the sun’s would be in a different place than at night. Eddington wanted to see if light would bend because of the sun. or would the light travel in a straight path?
Einstein becomes a legend:
Eddington found that the stars were in a different place! Because of gravity, the locations of the now visible stars were displaced because the light had to travel to us on the curved space around the sun. Einstein’s theory had been proven! This catapulted Albert Einstein from renowned physicist to scientific legend.
A final thought by Sir Eddington:
At a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society Sir Arthur Eddington said this:
