If light is bent by gravity would it curve?

Answer 1

That's what bent means

Although the term could acually be distortion

It's the space that's weird not the light. It's the way the light is affected by the space.

Look at a straw in a glass of water.

The light bends or does it.

That's what relativity is all about. How you observe something relatiitive to what is happening.

When we look up at the stars at night we are looking through a graivty well caused by the Earth, which may have a bearing (literal and figurative) on where those stars are in the sky.

Answer 2

When photons pass by a strong gravitational field the waves move toward that field. Their time in passing is very quick so the deviation from their course is very slight. This is not true with a mass in proximity of a gravitational field. Because mass is composed of electromagnetic energy, it exhibits the same propensity. The equation for a gravitational field is part of the physics trilogy and describes why one exists. The trilogy is: E = mc2, m = E /c2, and c2 = E/m. The last is that for a gravitational field. This field is that of a particular kind of energy to mass relationship. The energy in this equation is that of the heat energy contained within a mass. If the heat energy within a mass increases, so will the gravitational field. Were a mass the size of our planet to have no heat energy contained within, then it would have no gravitational field. In that the force of gravity is a product of a particular kind of energy, this may be seen in Stephen Hawking's “A Brief History of Time,” page 92, paragraph 3, states; “Like light, gravitational waves carry energy away from the objects that emit them.” If there is no energy being expended, there can be no gravitational field. Our planet expends 0.00444 kg. every second of mass converted into gravitational energy in order to keep things in place here. Our sun expends 665 lbs every second in order to keep the planets in place.

Answer 3

Light is indeed bent (curved) by gravity. In fact, galaxies positioned just so can act as gravitational lenses that serve to magnify (just like a telescope lens) distant stars (near the rim of our observable universe). Without such gravitational lenses, we would not be able to observe those distant stars as they were over 15 billion years ago. [See source.]

Answer 4

Actually, it is the space which surrounds an object that is "bent" or "distorted." Light merely travels the "straightest" path it can, and that's through the curvature of space when it nears an object.
In fact, the beam from your flashlight is not "straight" - it bends toward the earth's gravitational field in an arc equal to a circle one light year in diameter. (Kind of insignificant as far as the term "straight" is concerned in everyday usage, but interesting to know, none the less.)

Answer 5

Even a star curves light that is how Einstein proposed the experimental proof of his theory, measuring the angular distance of two stars close to our sun during a total eclipse. A when they did it the angle was bigger in the amount calculated by Einstein

Answer 6

Yes, light curves. That is how black holes are detected. The light from stars on the opposite side are distorted from the extreme gravitational forces exerted on it by the black hole.

Answer 7

Is here in Osla(my planet) we have found other methods for bending light besides using gravitational forces. You earthlings are growing in knowledge however you are still quite young.

We have thought about sharing this technology with the earthlings but with their very strict immigration laws we always get stuck in a place you refer too as Area 51. Thus we refuse to share any thing with you duapus!(pigs)

Answer 8

I dunno about this, maybe a light ray could kink instead? You know, like what happens when you try bending a copper tube into a curve, but it kinks, and now you got a corner in it you don't want? Am I making any sense?

Answer 9

Yes. This happens to light near a black hole.