Have you ever wondered how the universe behaves on its grandest scales? Einstein’s theory of relativity answers deep questions about space, time and gravity—revealing truths that might sound like science fiction but are astonishingly real. It’s a cornerstone of modern physics that reshaped our understanding of the cosmos.
Relativity comes in two parts:
- Special relativity, introduced in 1905, shows that time and space aren’t constant—they change depending on your speed. If you travel close to the speed of light, time slows down for you, a phenomenon known as time dilation. It also introduced the famous equation E = mc2, showing that mass and energy are interchangeable.
- General relativity, introduced in 1915, explains gravity not as a force, but as the bending of space and time by massive objects. This explains why planets orbit the Sun and why black holes have gravity so strong that not even light can escape. The bending of light by gravity–called gravitational lensing–even lets us observe distant galaxies.
Relativity’s insights power everyday technologies like GPS, help scientists study black holes and let us probe the universe’s beginnings. It’s a scientific marvel that continues to inspire discoveries about our vast and mysterious universe.
A Black Hole’s Gravitational Lensing Effect
