Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: waytogo on 09/02/2013 00:46:24

Title: Is gravity faster than light?
Post by: waytogo on 09/02/2013 00:46:24
Whats the point of the scientists?

 :o
Title: Re: Is gravity faster than light?
Post by: Pmb on 09/02/2013 02:42:59
Disturbances in the gravitational speed travel at the speed of light so the answer to your question is no, light does not travel faster than light since it travels a the same speed of light.
Title: Re: Is gravity faster than light?
Post by: Ethos_ on 10/02/2013 15:33:40
Quote from: Pmb on 09/02/2013 02:42:59
Disturbances in the gravitational speed travel at the speed of light so the answer to your question is no, light does not travel faster than light since it travels a the same speed of light.
I believe you meant to say; "gravity does not travel faster than light". I'm just trying to eliminate any confusion here so please don't take offense to this correction.
Title: Re: Is gravity faster than light?
Post by: evan_au on 10/02/2013 20:13:59
The speed of gravity described above is the speed of propagation of gravitational waves, which is thought to occur at the speed of light in a vacuum. Despite an ongoing search for gravity waves, as yet none have been discovered, probably because suitable triggers like colliding black holes are not very frequent in our part of the galaxy.

However, the speed of an object accelerating under the influence of gravity is always less than the speed of light. Near a black hole, the speed of infalling matter could approach a significant fraction of the speed of light, if it fell in a straight line. But we have no good models of what happens once it passes the event horizon.
Title: Re: Is gravity faster than light?
Post by: Pmb on 10/02/2013 21:52:22
Quote from: Ethos_ on 10/02/2013 15:33:40
Quote from: Pmb on 09/02/2013 02:42:59
Disturbances in the gravitational speed travel at the speed of light so the answer to your question is no, light does not travel faster than light since it travels a the same speed of light.
I believe you meant to say; "gravity does not travel faster than light". I'm just trying to eliminate any confusion here so please don't take offense to this correction.
Thans for catching that error. Actually what I meant to say was Disturbances in the gravitational field travel at the speed of light .... There is no difference to saying this than to saying that gravitational waves travel at the speed of light. But I like the way mine is phrased better, hence the reason I phrased it that way.