Light weight

[vi3tbomba]

Does gravity effects light? <br /><br />For example, if there was a planet that was, lets say a million times bigger than the Jupiter, what would lights behavior still be the same around this giant of a planet? Or would it light just be it ole stinky self?

 

[nevers]

I don't know the specifics but I'm sure I've read that light is effected by gravity.

 

[harmonicaman]

<b>Nevers</b> is right, of course. Light travels in a straight line; but since gravity (or "m" - mass) warps space, light appears to follow a curved path. The bigger the "m", the bigger the curve.

 

[siarad]

I've never understood what causes light to follow the curve of space-time.<br />A ray radiating from the surface apparently has energy drained from it i.e. red shifted.<br />A ray passing goes through a curve but seemingly isn't red shifted meaning it's tangential, no way! so I don't understand it <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" />

 

[neutron_star69]

well why does mass effect light?

 

[Saiph]

light travels in a straight line "through" space. However, if the space is curved, then an observer, who sees only a...lets call it projection of the path, will see a curved path.<br /><br />Light radiating from within the "dip" is redshifted.<br /><br />Light radiated from outside, but observed from inside a dip (on an objects surface) sees all incoming light blueshifted.<br /><br />Any light that passes through a dip, in one side, and out the other, has both happen. It's blueshifted on the way in (where if intercepted, is the second case above). On the way out, it's redshifted, but right back to it's original frequency (basically a conservation of energy effect). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p align="center"><font color="#c0c0c0"><br /></font></p><p align="center"><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">--------</font></em></font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">----</font></em></font><font color="#666699">SaiphMOD@gmail.com </font><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">-------------------</font></em></font></p><p><font color="#999999"><em><font size="1">"This is my Timey Wimey Detector.  Goes "bing" when there's stuff.  It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually.  I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- </font></em></font><font size="1" color="#999999">The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[siarad]

Well no coz it's 'sling-shotted' & whilst gravity may have no interchange of energy the movement of mass dragging it through space must have.<br />I still don't know why light follows the curvature of space-time, something must 'force' it, which is not gravity as that's already used in curving space-time <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" />

 

[harmonicaman]

<i>"A ray radiating from the surface apparently has energy drained from it i.e. red shifted."</i><br /><br />Rather than energy being drained from the photon, (i.e. the discounted "Tired Light" theories), think of the photon's wavelength as being stretched out a little - all the energy is still there, it just takes it all a bit longer to reach you when it's redshifted.<br /> <br />From the perspective of the photon, it is created and destroyed in the same instant. Since it travels at "c" it doesn't experience the passage of time and therefore doesn't have the "Time" to change its energy level. Note that from our perspective, some photons seem to be billions of years old but the photon still sees itself as just having been created.