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Could the results of the 1919 Solar Eclipse experiment be explained by refraction?

metacogitans
in Physics

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Couldn't the refraction of light as it passed through the sun's corona explain the results of the 1919 solar eclipse experiment?

Light bends as it passes through a medium; The sun's corona stretches far into space, with increasing density towards the sun's surface. Even past the corona, the sun's gravitational pull still attracts dust particles in orbit around it.

 

It is true that the results obtained were not great, this was pioneering observational science done with poor equipment by today's standards. It is not really clear that Eddington proved anything!

 

There were several other measurements made after that, again not with great accuracy. It was only in the 1960's using radio waves that very good agreement with general relativity was made.

Also, gravitation lensing is observed in space, where there is no such effect.

Indeed there are many other observations that support general relativity... if that was the motivation for the original question.

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