We agree with the results of experiments that seem to disprove the rigid aether model but interpret them as evidence for a fluid aether, which behaves differently. This fluid aether can be influenced or entrained by the motion of large objects like the Earth, explaining why many experiments failed to detect it in the manner expected by earlier rigid aether models. Thus, we propose that a dynamic, fluid aether offers a more accurate understanding of light propagation and motion than relativity.
Michelson-Gale Experiment (1925)
This experiment detected the Earth’s rotational motion and is often cited as supporting relativity. However, we interpret it as evidence of the Earth’s movement through a fluid aether, which can be entrained by the Earth’s rotation, causing light to travel at different speeds depending on its direction relative to the Earth’s motion. The results fit better with a fluid aether than with the assumptions of relativity.
Airy’s Failure (1871)
Airy’s attempt to detect stellar aberration using a water-filled telescope found no difference in the light’s aberration angle, which puzzled scientists. From the perspective of a fluid aether, this result is explained by the idea that the aether is dragged along with the Earth, preventing any detectable change in aberration. This supports a fluid, entrainable aether rather than disproving the concept altogether.
Sagnac Effect (1913)
Georges Sagnac’s experiment showed that light beams traveling in opposite directions around a rotating platform experienced different travel times, which contradicts relativity’s claim of light speed constancy. This result aligns naturally with the existence of a fluid aether that remains stationary while the platform rotates, causing the light’s speed to vary depending on its direction. This is direct evidence against relativity and supports the idea of aether as a real medium through which light propagates.
Michelson-Morley Experiment (1881)
Often regarded as a disproof of the aether, this experiment failed to detect the expected “aether wind.” While many interpreted this as evidence against the aether’s existence, we suggest that the null result can be explained by a fluid aether that is entrained by the Earth’s motion, rather than a rigid, stationary aether. This fluid aether could move with the Earth, making any aether wind undetectable.
Barbour and Bertotti’s Relational Dynamics
While not focused on the aether directly, Barbour and Bertotti’s work supports the idea that space and time are not absolute entities but emerge from the relationships between objects. Their rejection of absolute space aligns with our view of a fluid aether, where motion is relative and influenced by the surrounding medium rather than happening within a rigid, static framework.