Does light follow the curvature of the earth?

For most practical purposes, light moves in a straight line. However, it does bend a little due to gravity. The small curvature of light passing near the Sun was first observed in 1919. However, the curvature near the Earth is much smaller even than near the Sun, because the Earth is very small compared to the Sun.

Can the Sun bend light?

Light is energy. And sun being very massive, bends the space-time around it. Then the light has to follow that path. This is how the sun bends light.

Does Einstein bend light?

Einstein predicted that light should be bent by gravity, and Sir Arthur Eddington led an expedition to photograph the 1919 total eclipse of the sun. The photographs he took revealed stars whose light had passed near the sun, and their positions showed that the light had been bent exactly as Einstein had predicted.

Do magnetic fields bend space?

Magnetic and electric fields contain energy. Energy is equivalent to mass and always produces gravitational effects. So yes, magnetic and electric fields bend spacetime.

Why does light follow the curvature of the Earth?

It seems your question comes down to “Why does light at least somewhat follow the curvature of the earth?”. The answer is indeed refraction. Light has different speeds in different transparent substances, always slower than in vacuum.

How does light accelerate through space?

Light will react to a gravitational field and change its direction (again, not really “accelerating” — Einstein tells us this effect comes from the fact that space and time are not “flat” and the light rays just follow the shortest distance between two points, which may be curved).

How much does the Earth curve away from the horizontal?

The Earth curves away from a horizontal line by 1/8th of inch for every 100 feet of horizontal distance. The Earth’s curvature will swamp out your instrument error in less than 100 feet. The statement about the curvature of Earth got me thinking.

How can light be bent downward?

Light can just as well be bent downward using similar boundaries of layers in the atmosphere. It depends on the position of the emitter and receiver relative to the index of refraction gradients in the atmosphere.