One of the first major confirmations of Einstein’s general theory of relativity came from observing the bending of starlight during a solar eclipse. According to general relativity, massive objects like the Sun curve the fabric of spacetime, causing light from distant stars to bend as it passes near them.
This prediction was tested during a total solar eclipse in 1919 by British astronomer Arthur Eddington. The eclipse allowed observers to see stars near the Sun’s edge, which are usually obscured by its brightness. Eddington and his team photographed the stars during the eclipse and compared their positions to when the Sun was elsewhere in the sky. They found that the stars’ apparent positions were shifted outward—just as Einstein’s theory predicted.
This bending of light could not be explained by Newtonian physics, and its confirmation marked a turning point in science. It not only validated general relativity but also brought Einstein worldwide fame and revolutionized our understanding of gravity as the curvature of spacetime.