Einstein’s handwritten calculations for theory of relativity to be auctioned for €3m

Posted on September 21, 2021 by Admin

The rare document, which records attempts to explain an anomaly in the orbit of Mercury, is ‘a fascinating dive into the mind of the greatest scientist of the 20th century’

A crucial series of Albert Einstein’s calculations, scrawled down as the physicist struggled to account for an anomaly in the orbit of Mercury while developing his theory of general relativity, is set to be auctioned for an eye-watering estimate of up to €3m.

Christie’s France and auction house Aguttes, who will auction the manuscript in Paris on 23 November for an estimate of €2m-€3m, said it documents a crucial stage in the development of the theory of general relativity, and is “without doubt the most valuable Einstein manuscript ever offered at auction”.

Astronomers detect light behind black hole for first time

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Admin

Telescope picks up unexpected ‘luminous echoes’ – smaller, later and of different colour to bright flares

Astronomers have detected light behind a black hole deep in space for the first time.

Bright flares of X-rays were spotted bursting from a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy 800m light years away, which is relatively normal.

Albert Einstein letter with E=mc2 equation in his own hand sells for $1.2m

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Admin

Only two similar examples of world-changing equation known
1946 letter to physicist Ludwik Silberstein auctioned

A handwritten letter by Albert Einstein that contains his famous E=mc² equation has sold at auction for more than $1.2m, about three times more than it was expected to get, a Boston-based auction house said on Friday.

100 years on: the picture that changed our view of the universe

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Admin

Arthur Eddington’s photograph of the 1919 solar eclipse proved Einstein right and ushered in a century where gravity was king

A hundred years ago this month, the British astronomer Arthur Eddington arrived at the remote west African island of Príncipe. He was there to witness and record one of the most spectacular events to occur in our heavens: a total solar eclipse that would pass over the little equatorial island on 29 May 1919.

Observing such events is a straightforward business today, but a century ago the world was still recovering from the first world war. Scientific resources were meagre, photographic technology was relatively primitive, and the hot steamy weather would have made it difficult to focus instruments. For good measure, there was always a threat that clouds would blot out the eclipse.