Question

The Michelson-Morley experiment showed that we could not measure Earth's velocity with respect to the supposed background aether which was stationary while the solar system moved through it. But what if this aether is massive (ie. has some mass, however little) and also goes around the Sun in the same orbits as the planets?We wouldn't detect the relative speed because we are travelling alongside it.And this would mean of course that the aether does not have a universal reference frame.If this were the case, would we be able to detect it with any gravitational effects? If we are surrounded by it, we won't feel a net force in any one direction.Let us assume there is no friction so we don't have something like a quasar on our hands.It will be like dark matter. This could be an explanation for the dark matter.Can this theory be immediately disproven? Of course as it it with dark matter, since we know so little, we can always modify the properties of the supposed material to fit our needs.If it is massive, it will not have any reason to just fill the entire space up and will clump together like ordinary matter and we won't be able to see stars in every direction. Perhaps it has some pressure that keeps it from clumping.

Answer 1

The Michelson-Morley experiment negated the concept of luminiferous aether, and the proposed massive aether shares some conceptual similarities with dark matter. Modern astronomical observations and evidence suggest that dark matter forms a halo around galaxies, influencing their rotation curves, and preclude it from being composed of ordinary, luminous matter.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Michelson-Morley experiment disproved the existence of the luminiferous aether, leading to the development of Einstein's special theory of relativity. The idea that an aether could exist with mass and exhibit gravitational effects resembles modern inquiries into dark matter.

Historically, discrepancies in the orbits of planets, such as Uranus, led to the discovery of Neptune, due to gravitational effects from an unseen mass. Similarly, dark matter was proposed to explain the flat rotation curves of galaxies observed by astronomers like Zwicky and Rubin, which could not be explained by the visible matter alone.

The idea of a massive aether orbiting with the planets brings up considerations of gravitational effects. While theoretical adjustments could suggest such a medium could have properties similar to dark matter, the concept differs from the current understanding of dark matter, which suggests it does not clump like ordinary matter but forms a halo around galaxies. Recent astronomical observations using various methods, including gravitational lensing and studies of galactic clusters, support the existence of dark matter that does not consist of ordinary, luminous objects like stars or massive planets.