Lense-Thirring frame dragging observed

[John Denker <jsd@AV8N.COM>]

Non-Newtonian gravity.  This effect is to plain old gravitation
as magnetism is to electrostatics.

NASA press release:
  http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_04351_time_drags.html

> "General relativity predicts massive rotating objects should drag
> space-time around themselves as they rotate," Pavlis said. "Frame
> dragging is like what happens if a bowling ball spins in a thick
> fluid such as molasses. As the ball spins, it pulls the molasses
> around itself. Anything stuck in the molasses will also move around
> the ball. Similarly, as the Earth rotates, it pulls space-time in its
> vicinity around itself. This will shift the orbits of satellites near
> Earth." The study is a follow-up to earlier work in 1998 where the
> authors' team reported the first direct detection of the effect.

Blurb about article in Nature:
  http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041018/full/041018-11.html

Press coverage:
  http://news.google.com/news?q=lense-thirring