Did it prove Einstein was right? A group of scientists planned for seven years to capture shots of the stars around the solar eclipse.
X
Next
'Mystical experience' as millions see eclipse
Did it prove Einstein was right? A group of scientists planned for seven years to capture shots of the stars around the solar eclipse.
X
PreviousNext
What's happening?
Four minutes. For four minutes, the skies darkened. For four minutes, the birds fell silent. For four minutes, millions of Americans put on a pair of special goggles and looked up at the sky to witness the eclipse.
An eclipse happens when the Moon passes in front of the sun, blocking out the view of the sun from the Earth. It goes dark even though it is the daytime.
On Monday, a group of scientists were watching the eclipse near the Mexican town of El Salto. They had a clear purpose: to prove Albert EinsteinA German-born physicist, whose work in the early 20th Century revolutionised scientific understanding of the world. right.
Einstein argued that gravityAn invisible force that pulls objects towards each other. Earth's gravity keeps us on the ground and makes things fall. It is less strong on Mars. can cause space and time to work in unusual ways.
We have never found clear proof of Einstein's idea. That is why the scientists in Mexico were there. They hoped to find evidenceSomething which proves that something else is true. that Einstein's theory is correct.
Find out more
Einstein said that the stars around the sun in the sky should appear in a different position when the sun is there from when it is absent. During the eclipse, the scientist took lots of photos of the stars with the sun missing. They hope that the pictures will prove him right.
Did it prove Einstein was right?
Yes! Most scientists had already decided that Einstein was right. This will only add extra evidence.
No! An experiment can never really "prove" anything. It just provides useful evidence until someone comes along with better equipment to test out your idea again.
X
Previous
Keywords
Albert Einstein - A German-born physicist, whose work in the early 20th Century revolutionised scientific understanding of the world.
Gravity - An invisible force that pulls objects towards each other. Earth's gravity keeps us on the ground and makes things fall. It is less strong on Mars.
Evidence - Something which proves that something else is true.
‘Mystical experience’ as millions see eclipse
Ethereal: A solar blackout swept across North America giving 32 million people a rare and dazzling celestial show. Glossary
Albert Einstein - A German-born physicist, whose work in the early 20th Century revolutionised scientific understanding of the world.
Gravity - An invisible force that pulls objects towards each other. Earth's gravity keeps us on the ground and makes things fall. It is less strong on Mars.
Evidence - Something which proves that something else is true.