[Physics] Physics Digest, Vol 4, Issue 8

[cj at mb-soft.com]

Regarding gravitational lensing, I admit to having made similar assumptions as you.  The total optical path from the actual source star (behind) the mass, past it to us, should be very similar, although I may have (poorly) assumed that the source star is centered behind it from our perspective.  Logically, it is likely offset a little.  But I think that would still make the four images tthe same magnitude and spectra, but instead of a perfect circle (which I had assumed), the four images must be exactly on an ellipse.

You have really lit me up regarding your thought that the Sun's alleged GR shifting of images of stars closely behind it, may instead be due to optical refraction of the Sun's Corona.  We know that the length of a day is significantly longer due to our Earth's atmosphere "raising" the image of the Sun by slightly more than a full Sun diameter at both sunrise and sunset (actually, about 50 arc-minutes for both).  

Has anyone ever measured the optical Refractive Index of different levels of the Sun's Corona?  I am tempted to think that no one has because they have assumed that it is irrelevant.

I love the potential implications of your insight.

Carl Johnson
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