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This is a pretty big deal proving Newton's theory of gravity to be incorrect and Einstein's theory of general relativity to be correct (as far as we know). General relativity comes with some counter-intuitive conclusions though, like gravity isn't actually a force between masses but is instead a result of the curvature of spacetime.

ESO Telescope Sees Star Dance Around Supermassive Black Hole, Proves Einstein Right

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Observations made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed for the first time that a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way moves just as predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Its orbit is shaped like a rosette and not like an ellipse as predicted by Newton's theory of gravity. This long-sought-after result was made possible by increasingly precise measurements over nearly 30 years, which have enabled scientists to unlock the mysteries of the behemoth lurking at the heart of our galaxy.
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Landlord said:
We've known that Newtonian physics are incomplete/incorrect for a long time, though, right? 
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Yes, for his laws of motion especially since there's no such thing as an inertial frame, but there was still some debate about his theory of gravity.

 
I thought the discovery of gravity waves a few years back was the final major prediction of Einstein's relativity and nail in the coffin for Newton.

 
Landlord said:
I thought the discovery of gravity waves a few years back was the final major prediction of Einstein's relativity and nail in the coffin for Newton.
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That's a good point. You could be right, but this is evidence that general relativity has better predictive power for orbit determination, which means that the theory of gravity is wrong for what it was best known for.

 
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RedDenver said:
That's a good point. You could be right, but this is evidence that general relativity has better predictive power for orbit determination, which means that the theory of gravity is wrong for what it was best known for.
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The theory of gravity isn't necessarily wrong. It's just that it's simplified compared to reality. Similar to how the theory of relativity struggles to explain quantum interactions.

Apples still fall to the ground and planets still move in elliptical orbits. Newton's mathematics are still very good for predicating the effects of gravity on simple systems at great distances. After all it helped predict the presence of Neptune before we visually found the planet, and for certain distances the solutions to Einstein's equations are identical to Newton's.

Saw this cool mashup on Reddit. I actually kind of like all the switches. I hate having to navigate touch screens in cars just to turn on seat warmer. Just give me an instant switch for crying out loud.

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ZRod said:
The theory of gravity isn't necessarily wrong. It's just that it's simplified compared to reality. Similar to how the theory of relativity struggles to explain quantum interactions.

Apples still fall to the ground and planets still move in elliptical orbits. Newton's mathematics are still very good for predicating the effects of gravity on simple systems at great distances. After all it helped predict the presence of Neptune before we visually found the planet, and for certain distances the solutions to Einstein's equations are identical to Newton's.
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The purpose of physics and science is to understand and explain reality, so a theory that has less explanatory power is "wrong" in science when there's a better theory. Newton's theory was a better explanation than anything before it, but now Relativity has replaced it as the better explanation. Someday another theory that's even better will replace Relativity.

 
Signs of life discovered on Venus?

...maybe.



Love her last tweet:  

please read this ya goofs:

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