Is it likely that the speed of light,gravity,..., rules only apply in our solar system?

Question

if the same rules don't apply elsewhere then it would not be practical to make guesses of the unknown.

Answer 1

No, this is highly unlikely.

We have reached the age where we can use telescopes to view distant star systems and galaxies outside of our solar system.

When we observe other solar systems/galaxies, they are relatively similar to ours. If we plug in a few variables and churn the math for a distance system, we get the same speed of light/gravity/etc values for distance systems as we do here. We know this based on the laws of physics – a planet’s rotational period, for instance, can be measured, then compared with theory – and voila, they match based on our laws here.

All research clearly shows that they must obey the same laws of physics in order for them to form the way they do.

For instance, Research conducted by an international team of astronomers shows that one of the most important numbers in physics theory, the proton-electron mass ratio, is almost exactly the same in a galaxy 6 billion light years away as it is in Earth's laboratories, approximately 1836.15.

This is known as the equivalence principle, which shows up in Einstein's theory of Relativity.

Note that some astrophysicists use the idea of ‘opposite’ galaxies that are composed of anti-matter that are located in far away galaxies. This hypothesis arises from the notion that we should see as much antimatter as we do matter, yet everything in our galaxy is made of matter. This is widely speculation and so far has not been supported by observation.

Bottom Line: The scientific community accepts the notion that the laws of physics should be the same everywhere in the Universe, regardless of the observer.

Answer 2

Speed of light would apply anywhere there is light, gravity would be unknown if other plants have gravity or not.

Answer 3

A lot of today's top scientists believe that "symmetry underlies the laws of the universe."  ***  

So, of course, we've (humans) never gone farther than the moon, but we've sent unmanned spacecraft throughout most of our solar system.  And thus far, the laws we find on Earth hold true elsewhere.  

By studying light from other stars, we can tell that the patterns of stellar evolution that we observe in our galaxy seem to hold true as far as we've been able to see.  Stars like our sun behave and act like proper G type stars no matter where they are.  Red Giants act like red giants, whether they're in the milky way or in another galaxy.  

I think unless some evidence to the contrary presents itself, the assumption that the universe is symmetrical is a pretty logical conclusion.

Answer 4

tgrt_home is talking nonsense. A theory is an explanation of facts. As more facts are known, the theory is updated or replaced. He's confusing a theory with a hypothesis, which is a common mistake.

The 'theory' of gravity is not a wild guess; it's backed by detailed investigation. And as far as we can tell, it operates the same everywhere in the sky we can see. The theory fits the facts very well, and allows us to extrapolate back to a tiny fraction of a second after the Universe began.

There may be regions where gravity and light behave differently, but as it stands, we have no theory to explain how that would have happened, or would continue to happen in a Universe that seems overwhelmingly to work with the same laws of physics everywhere.

As for tgrt_home's comment about the speed of light, again he's talking nonsense. The speed of light is a constant, when **measured in a vacuum**. It's common knowledge that light slows down in various mediums, such as water. And gravity does not 'slow down' the speed of light. Gravity warps the space that light travels in. If you were able to ride a light wave in an intense gravitational field, you would still be going at 186,000 miles a second, and in a straight line (at least it would appear straight to you). but it would appear to an outside observer that the wave was slowing down or bending direction. That's why they call it 'Relativity'. Because what you experience is relative to where you experience it.

Answer 5

They apply throughout the universe.

Answer 6

Allot of what you hear as fact is theory.  Technically, gravity is still a theory.  There are certain physical aspects you cannot deny, but it gets pretty complex.  That said, aspects of the theory of gravitation and stretching into general relativity have been used to find other planets.  As for the speed of light, it's technically not a constant, because it can be affected by gravity.  At the end of the day, we don't know as much as we purport.

Answer 7

Sorry, but no, it is impossible.  The basic tenet of the physics of general relativity is that all forces, all particles, are the same for all observers in all places, and at all times.