Scientists validate Einstein's theory over black holes

New Delhi : There have been two theories in Physics - Newton's theory of gravity predicts that bound orbits of one object around another are elliptical, Einstein’s General Relativity predicts these orbits to be not closed and shaped like a rosette instead.

The latest observations have revealed that it is the Winstein's theory that looks to be working in the space.

European Southern Observatory or ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has been used to observe the movement of a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. As observed by the scientists, the movement of stars was found in accordance to the Einstein's theory.

The Einstein’s general theory of relativity precesses forward in the plane of motion instead of going in a closed loop, thus forming a rosette like structure.

The research was conducted by an international team led by Frank Eisenhauer of the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics with collaborators from France, Portugal, Germany and ESO.

“This famous effect — first seen in the orbit of the planet Mercury around the Sun — was the first evidence in favour of General Relativity. One hundred years later we have now detected the same effect in the motion of a star orbiting the compact radio source Sagittarius A at the centre of the Milky Way,” said Reinhard Genzel, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, Germany.

Scientists observed that the location of S2’s closest point to the supermassive black hole changes with each turn it takes, in such a way that its next orbit is again rotated with regard to the previous one. The precessing orbit thus forms a a rosette shape.