Stellar Aberration

Gabriel Miller, 9/22/1998

Summary:
Possibly that there is a fifth and even more significant aberration. It is well known that the Solar System is revolving around the center of Galaxy with an estimated speed of 400 km/s. This 400 km/s speed causes a 275 arc sec stellar aberration. The phenomenon seems to deny Einstein's fundamental theory, the theory of relativity.

The notion - stellar aberration - means that bserved direction of stars is not being real because of the movement of Earth.

Phenomenon is similar with the case of moving car in rain. In spite of the fact that raindrops fall vertically, we observe them slantwise. A tube placed vertically on the moving car raindrops will not be able to get through it but will hitting the inner wall of the tube. The upper edge of the tube should be adjusted in the direction of moving. (Fig. 1)

In case of stellar aberration the light ray corresponds to the raindrops and the Earth corresponds to the moving car. Both, speed vector of light and speed vector of Earth's are summarized, so that our eyes and optical instruments detect the resulting vector.

Astronomers routinely remove the upper edge of their telescope forward to get the picture of observed star just in the center of field of vision (Fig. 2).

Effect depends on direction of observed star. There is no stellar aberration in case of star which is just in the direction of movement ( 0^o), or in the opposite direction ( 180^o). But all the rest points of sky seems to move forward.

If angle of speed vector and direction of star is just 90^o (rectangle), the aberration is full in volume. In case of other directions (e.g. 135^o), the volume of effect is in direct proportion to that component of speed vector (v_perp) which is perpendicular on the light ray. (Fig. 3).

It is known that Earth is revolving around the Sun. Standing on Earth the volume of stellar aberration is about 20,5" (20,5 arc sec). This number can be derived from the ratio of Earth's velocity (30 km/s) and speed of light (300000 km/s ). More precisely : 29,773 km/s, 20,49552".

Astronomers set up a special list with 4 kinds of berration:

1. The value of 20,5" comes from Earth's average velocity round Sun.
2. The value of +/- 0,34" comes from deviations of Earth's average velocity.
3. The value of 0 - 0,3" comes from Earth's rotation (pole/equator).
4. The value of 13" comes from average speed of Solar System comparing to the next 200 stars nearby us.

This aberration is a very large volume. Why didn't astronomers notice this aberration effect up to the present? It is because the daily variation of this effect is very low. Let us think to the effect of 20,5", where sign of the effect turns into the opposite every half year. In case of 275" the revolution time is approximately 25000 years. Therefore astronomers should wait 12500 years to notice converting the effect into the opposite sign.

In spite of fact that this effect is hardly detectable - it does exist! Hence it is important to take into account that the center of our Galaxy is not there where astronomers believe it. This center is displaced 275 arc sec i.e. 4' 15". And this concept should be valid for distant stars and all of galaxies.

The phenomenon seems to deny Einstein's fundamental theory, the theory of relativity: Stellar aberration doesn't depend on the speed of source but the speed of observer only. Speeds are not relative in this case.

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