How Vulcan, a hypothetical planet, helped prove Einstein's theory that gravity is curved spacetime
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A ghost planet that never existed became the ultimate proof that Einstein was right — here's how the search for Vulcan accidentally validated the biggest revolution in physics.
General RelativityFalsificationismNewtonian MechanicsParadigm Shift
Theory Briefing
- Einstein in 1915 used Mercury's unexplained orbital wobble as a real-world test case for his brand-new general relativity equations.
- Newtonian gravity had invented the phantom planet Vulcan to explain Mercury's precession — Einstein's curved spacetime made Vulcan instantly unnecessary.
- The story shows how a falsifiable prediction, not a thought experiment, is what finally cements a scientific revolution.