The finite speed of gravitational attraction should be an issue for galactic simulations, even if other relativistic effects do not arise. E.g., suppose that some configuration several light years away suddenly flies apart. The observer (viewer _or_ body effected by the gravitational change) wouldn't notice it for quite a while. These issues should be less of a problem for solar system simulations, but they're still there a bit. Does anyone know what the current state of the art for galactic gravitational simulations is? At 04:39 PM 7/2/03 -0700, Richard Schroeppel wrote:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030619075759.htm
Speed of Gravity
A few months ago, a group announced they'd measured the speed of gravity by looking at starlight bent by Jupiter's gravity. The above note is another group saying 'Tain't So.