Astrophysics is a very complicated and strategic mind-game played by scientists against the Universe. It is a vortex of theories, hypotheses, assumptions, and presumptions. Up to a specific time, Isaak Newton seemed to be close to winning the game for humanity — then Albert Einstein happened, then Stephen Hawking.
Each of them found something the other one missed. And somehow, the game became more like a game that scientists play against each other since the Universe can’t be defeated at its own game.
Although their theories, hypotheses, assumptions, and presumptions are essential pieces of the whole game-system and they can’t be removed without causing the entire game to collapse, scientists still dream of finding that one piece of the Universe’s puzzle that would prove them wrong.
If Einstein is proved to be wrong, then the scientist who does that becomes the new possible winner. They all want to be Einstein. They are grateful to Einstein but also jealous of him.
So, every piece of the puzzle must verify Einstein’s theory. It was S2’s turn to do that.
Star S2 Proves Einstein’s General Relativity Theory, Once Again
S2 is a star orbiting close to the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius, where Sagittarius A* is located. Sagittarius A* is a radio source at the center of the Milky Way. It is considered to be a supermassive black hole.
We should say “considered” since black holes and/or their behavior are still partially presumptions. Hawking had a lot to say about their behavior that contradicted Einstein. Einstein said that nothing escapes a black hole, Hawking noted that they emanate radiations that could hold information about everything the black hole has ever swallowed.
Isaak Newton was mashed at the game by Einstein, but he is still worth mentioning since he used to be a god, and he remains the proof that gods can be mashed. So, S2 proved Newton wrong once again, and Einstein wright. Getting too close to Sagittarius A* (too close meaning within 20 billion kilometers), S2 shifted its orbit. The slight divergence was observed with the help of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.
Once again, Einstein proves to be Einstein. Will it ever be “once and for all”? For three decades, scientists have the means to monitor stars and black holes such as S2 and Sagittarius A*. How can we win this game when we monitor Einstein and not the Universe? If Einstein is wrong, the Universe will prove it. We don’t need to keep trying. Shouldn’t we focus on what else might be out there and not what we already know it might be?
