Introduction to general relativity: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Cassini-science-br.jpg|thumb|right|236px|High-precision test of general relativity by the ''[[Cassini-Huygens|Cassini]]'' space probe (artist's impression): radio signals sent between the Earth and the probe (green wave) are [[Shapiro effect|delayed]] by the warping of [[spacetime]] (blue lines) due to the [[Sun]]'s mass.]]

{{General relativity sidebar}}

[[File:Light Bending.gif|thumb|This animation shows the path of light around an object that is warping [[Spacetime|space-time]]. The dent acts as a [[lens]]. Light from a distant object that passes near the lens will be bent, which can make the object appear brighter and distorted.]]

'''General Relativity (GR), formulated by Albert Einstein in 1915, is a fundamental theory of gravity that describes how mass and energy curve spacetime, due to their masses, influencing the motion of objects. Unlike [[Newton's law of universal gravitation|Newtonian gravity]], which treats gravity as a force between masses, GR explains gravity as the geometric deformation of spacetime. This theory successfully predicts phenomena such as gravitational time dilation, [[light bending]] near massive objects, and [[Black hole|black holes]].'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Einstein |first=Albert |title=The foundation of the general theory of relativity |date=21-02-2025 |publisher=Annalen der physik |year=1916}}</ref>