Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
News and Views
Nature 431, 918-919 (21 October 2004) | doi:10.1038/431918a; Published online 20 October 2004
General relativity: Frame-dragging confirmed
Neil Ashby1
Abstract
According to a prediction of general relativity, the spinning mass of the Earth affects the motion of satellites. A measurement of this 'frame-dragging' effect confirms Einstein's theory.
General relativity predicts that a spinning mass distorts space-time — one of a variety of 'gravitomagnetic' phenomena that are absent in Newtonian gravity. Unfortunately, gravitational forces are so weak that it is useless to try to detect this warping of space-time unless the mass is very large and spinning rapidly — an astronomical body, say, such as the Earth or the Sun, or a neutron star.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Space-based gravity testsNature News and Views (11 Oct 1990)
Timing timeNature News and Views (24 May 1979)
Superfluid gyroscopeNature News and Views (17 Sep 1992)
See all 5 matches for News And ViewsRESEARCH
A confirmation of the general relativistic prediction of the Lense?Thirring effectNature Letters to Editor (21 Oct 2004)