That year, he formulated the theory of special relativity. The year 1905 was one of the most productive years in the scientific career of the Jewish-German physicist Albert Einstein. How could observations of curving light rays support Einstein’s theory and change the way people viewed space, time, and gravity? Let us start with some background. Einstein claimed that the paths of light rays coming from distant stars would become curved as they passed by the sun on their way toward Earth. The aim of these observations was to check one of the predictions of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

From these two places, it was possible to observe a full solar eclipse on the same day. On November 7, 1919, a news article was published in the British paper London Times, under the sensational title, “ A revolution in science-New theory of the universe-Newton’s ideas have been refuted.” The article reported the results of astronomical observations conducted by two expeditions earlier that same year, one located on Principe island, near the west coast of Africa, and the other in the city of Sobral in Brazil. When this result was published, it ignited a big excitement and interest in the scientific community and the general public, and Einstein became a superstar overnight. This prediction was confirmed through astronomical observations measuring the light reaching Earth from distant stars. One prediction of the new theory was that light rays reaching us from distant stars, curve when they pass near the sun, because of the sun’s gravity and the nature of space and time.

This theory changed our understanding of the concepts of space, time and gravity, established by Isaac Newton. Albert Einstein completed his theory of general relativity in 1915. This article describes one of the most important chapters in scientific history, which contributed to the modern understanding of the universe.

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