Two star appear in an otherwise empty void exactly ten light-years apart. An observer on each star would only know the existence of their star until ten years later when they finally see the light of the other star in their skies. Since these stars have mass, then they also have gravity. The gravity of these two stars would interact with each other and create an attractive force.
Though it takes ten years to see light from the other star, would not the gravity of each star reach to the other's instantaneously? In other words, the reaction of mass at a distance (gravity) occurs at infinite speeds.
Hope I have stated this clearly enough...just one of my ponderings for today.
I guess it was always my understanding that even though waves, such as electromagnetic and gravitational waves, propagate at the speed of light, the reaction of mass at a distance was instantaneous.
Hope someone out there can set be in the right direction.
2006-08-12
05:26:13
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8 answers
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asked by
Shaula
7
in
Astronomy & Space