Or is it faster in the Z direction.
2006-09-23 09:45:31 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Yes, the speed of light is the same in ALL directions.
It is a constant of the Universe, and according to our understanding of physics it cannot change.
However light can be slowed and it can be affected by gravity. Which is why the top speed of light is always measured in a vacuum.
Astronomers have used the gravitational lensing effect to discover other massive objects near a star; like a planet. This is how we discovered our first extra-solar planets. By gravitational lensing I mean that the light is bent, by gravity, in the same fashion as it is bent by a person’s glasses.
Now days we use the wobble of stars to find planets. With the previous method we could only detect those planets larger than Jupiter and in a line between their star and our position.
2006-09-23 10:00:19 · answer #1 · answered by Dan S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Josef is wrong: gravity will not affect the speed of light, but the other propertires of the universe (lenght, passage of time) and the direction of a light beam and its frequency. But the speed will remain constant no matter what, from the perspective of any observer.
2006-09-23 10:00:01 · answer #2 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on how your axes are oriented. If X and Z form a plane tangential to the earth, and then Y is perpendicular (i.e. it moves in and out of the earth) then light will move a little slower moving away from the earth in the Y direction because light is affected by gravity
2006-09-23 09:50:18 · answer #3 · answered by josef 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light in a vacuum is a constant...therefore direction doesn't matter
2006-09-23 09:48:46 · answer #4 · answered by The Cheminator 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is constant.
2006-09-23 09:48:50 · answer #5 · answered by ericscribener 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the speed of light is always the same.
2006-09-23 10:04:39 · answer #6 · answered by That one guy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes 186000 miles a second in all directions
2006-09-23 09:53:58 · answer #7 · answered by jackitec 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
186,282 miles per second period(as far as we know).
2006-09-23 09:53:16 · answer #8 · answered by ppellet 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋