Although Albert Einstein died in 1955, his famous "Theory of Relativity" is much older than that. His theories, the basis for much of what know and understand about our universe, are well over 100 years old now. Yet we are still finding new ways to prove them correct.
It is remarkable that he was able to uncover such complex concepts and mechanisms of nature without use of computers, calculators or other scientific equipment we take for granted today. And it is only because it has taken over 100 years for us to develop the technology and equipment capable of testing Einstein's theories that we are still having to prove to ourselves how right he was on so many points.
For example, one part of his Theory of Relativity was about gravity and its power to bend light. But how does one prove that light can be bent? Light, which is made up of protons, has no mass, so how can we prove gravity's effect on something massless? Or where and how could we harness or observe such gravity? Although he actually participated in an experiment early in the last century that could only be performed during a solar eclipse to prove that gravity could bend light, many scientists have considered it rather weak proof, especially for such a powerful theory.
As the saying goes, extraordinary claims will require extraordinary proof, and our ability to acquire substantial proof has been limited by our technological capabilities.
But now, only recently have we developed the technology to observe "Black Holes" from a safe distance, and scientists are again putting Einstein's theories to test. And so far, he is passing with flying protons.
According to the scientist's results, the extraordinary gravitational pull of a Black Holes does indeed bend light in a observable, provable and replicable fashion, cementing another brick in Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Einstein image: Public Domain