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Q&A: General Astronomy and Space Science
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Q:
I have been thinking about the nature of spatial distortion due
to matter. If space is distorted are there any other noticeable
effects apart from a gravitational field? If we were to
"distort" space, is the observable distance through that space
just as "long" to an object passing through it and would take
the same amount of energy to accelerate it regardless of the
distortion? Are there any web links you know of on this subject?
Thanks.
A:
 According to Einstein's theory of General
Relativity, the distortion of space due to matter is the same as
the gravitational field. The gravitational field affects the
motion of all particles moving through it, including photons, or
light, so it does take longer for a particle to move through a
distorted region of space, and its path will be altered by the
distortion. This is the basis for the gravitational lenses that
astronomers have discovered in recent years. Light rays
traveling from a distant galaxy may pass through a foreground
galaxy cluster and be bent by differing amounts depending on the
distortion of space produced by the cluster. As a result, the
images of the galaxies will be distorted into arcs or in some
cases, split into more than one image. A web site on this
subject that is worth investigating is http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/NumRelHome.html
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According to Einstein's theory of General
Relativity, the distortion of space due to matter is the same as
the gravitational field. The gravitational field affects the
motion of all particles moving through it, including photons, or
light, so it does take longer for a particle to move through a
distorted region of space, and its path will be altered by the
distortion. This is the basis for the gravitational lenses that
astronomers have discovered in recent years. Light rays
traveling from a distant galaxy may pass through a foreground
galaxy cluster and be bent by differing amounts depending on the
distortion of space produced by the cluster. As a result, the
images of the galaxies will be distorted into arcs or in some
cases, split into more than one image. A web site on this
subject that is worth investigating is http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/NumRelHome.html
