Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: A Davis on 19/12/2013 18:22:22

Title: Is the Sun unusual in the way it bends light?
Post by: A Davis on 19/12/2013 18:22:22

The Sun is unusual, normally with a hot body it is hot at the surface and gets colder as one moves away from it. Not true for the sun it gets hotter as one moves away from it's surface towards the corona giving a temperature inversion, this inversion bends the light from a distant star behind it towards it's surface. Did Einstein get lucky.

Title: Re: The Sun
Post by: syhprum on 19/12/2013 19:40:28

Although A Davis says there is a considerable difference in temperature between the surface of the Sun the photosphere and the chromosphere the surrounding gas is very tenuous and could in no way account for the deflection of starlight that was attributed to gravity.
The deflection was very small and difficult to measure due to the low density of the sun but the deflection has since been confirmed around more dense bodies.