Speed of gravity

In classical theories of gravitation, the changes in a gravitational field propagate. A change in the distribution of energy and momentum of matter results in subsequent alteration, at a distance, of the gravitational field which it produces. In the relativistic sense, the "speed of gravity" refers to the speed of a gravitational wave, which, as predicted by general relativity and confirmed by observation of the GW170817 neutron star merger, is equal to the speed of light (c).

Speed of gravity
Exact values
metres per second299792458
Approximate values (to three significant digits)
kilometres per hour1080000000
miles per second186000
miles per hour671000000
astronomical units per day173
parsecs per year0.307
Approximate light signal travel times
DistanceTime
one foot1.0 ns
one metre3.3 ns
from geostationary orbit to Earth119 ms
the length of Earth's equator134 ms
from Moon to Earth1.3 s
from Sun to Earth (1 AU)8.3 min
one light year1.0 year
one parsec3.26 years
from nearest star to Sun (1.3 pc)4.2 years
from the nearest galaxy (the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy) to Earth25000 years
across the Milky Way100000 years
from the Andromeda Galaxy to Earth2.5 million years
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.