Gravity must be faster than light...here's why. The sun is a distance away from that causes light to reach us in about 8 minutes. So, if the sun disappeared we would realize it in about 8 minutes. The sun could be gone right bow and we wouldn't realize it. Or would we? If the sun disappeared we would notice that it's gravity would no longer affect us. We would float freely In space for 8 minutes until we froze. Does this mean that gravity is faster than time? Is this the secret that will lead us to time travel? Post your thoughts
The changes in gravity would reach us at the same time as the light stopped (I think?). Earth would then either keep moving in a straight line or it might be affected by the other planets, I'm not sure.
The speed of gravitational waves in the general theory of relativity is equal to the speed of light in vacuo, c.[1] Within the theory of special relativity, the constant c is not exclusively about light; instead it is the highest possible speed for any physical interaction in nature. Formally, c is a conversion factor for changing the unit of time to the unit of space.[2] This makes it the only speed which does not depend either on the motion of an observer or a source of light and/or gravity. Thus, the speed of "light" is also the speed of gravitational waves and any massless particle. So far, the only candidates for massless particles in physics are the photons that light waves consist of, and also the theoretical gravitons which make up the associated field particles of gravity, if a quantum mechanical theory for gravity is ever successfully constructed. The speed of physical changes in a gravitational or electromagnetic field should not be confused for "changes" in the behavior of static fields that are due to pure observer-effects. These changes in direction of a static field, because of relativistic considerations, are the same for an observer when a distant charge is moving, as when an observer (instead) decides to move with respect to a distant charge. Thus, constant motion of an observer with regard to a static charge and its extended static field (either a gravitational or electric field) does not change the field. For static fields, such as the electrostatic field connected with electric charge, or the gravitational field connected to a massive object, the field extends to infinity, and does not propagate. Motion of an observer does not cause the direction of such a field to change, and by symmetrical considerations, changing the observer frame so that the charge appears to be moving at a constant rate, also does not cause the direction of its field to change, but requires that it continue to "point" in the direct of the charge, at all distances from the charge. The consequence of this, is that static fields (either electric or gravitational) always point directly to the actual position of the bodies that they are connected to, without any delay that is due to any "signal" traveling (or propagating) from the charge, over a distance to an observer. This remains true if the charged bodies and their observers are made to "move" (or not), by simply changing reference frames. This fact sometimes causes confusion about the "speed" of such static fields, which sometimes appear to change infinitely quickly when the changes in the field are mere artifacts of the motion of the observer, or of observation. In such cases, nothing actually changes infinitely quickly, save the point of view of an observer of the field. For example, when an observer begins to move with respect to a static field that already extends over light years, it appears as though "immediately" the entire field, along with its source, has begun moving at the speed of the observer. This, of course, includes the extended parts of the field. However, this "change" in the apparent behavior of the field source, along with its distant field, does not represent any sort of propagation that is faster than light.
Gravity is the same speed as light. If the sun is ever destroyed it'll take 7 minutes for earth to feel a difference.
I think it just has to do with how gravity curves space-time. But there would still be an 8 minute wait before we realized the sun's gravity is no longer affecting earth.
As far as I know we are not quite sure what gravity is on a quantum level, I assume its like a photon, gluon, Z and W particle I kind of take to the standard model, I'm a follower of Steven Weinberg, one of my heros! Anyways force propagation (this time gravity) cannot act superluminally, but is supposed to act (gravity) at the speed of light, Newtonian physics had the idea that gravity was instantaneous action at a distance, but we know better now thanks relativity. We really don't know to much about what gravity is when it comes down to it.
I know the Graviton, it's a hypothetical particle that should exist based off of the success of QFT. I just left out that name and called it gravity for simplicity.
gravity is a field effect so it doesn't "travel" out from the body. if the body goes away all points in the field also go away (well start deceasing in strength), all at the same rate. It would be an instantaneous change at all points within the field.