Gravity Well Detection Tests
Illustration for an article by Dr. Charles Bennett on Einstein's Legacy for the magazine Science, vol 307 11 February 2005.
Time and space are affected by mass. This hypothesis of Einstein's theory of general relativity can be tested and confirmed through physical observation. In this illustration; 1- light loses energy as it climbs the gravitational potential, undergoing a red shift (right). 2- the light path of a distant star is deflected as it passes near the sun (left). 3- the perihelion of the orbit of Mercury (blue path) is slightly altered.