Possible Duplicate:
The speed of gravity
Does gravity travel at the speed of light?
Imagine there is a large mass $m_1$ (e.g. a star) 1 light-year away from us. It is stable, stationary relative to us and has been in place for a long time, much more than a year. A small mass $m_2$ (e.g. a proton) has just been created locally, 1 light-year away from $m_1$.
How much time does it take for $m_2$ to feel the gravitational pull of $m_1$, and how can this be explained with the virtual-graviton theory of gravity?
Some possible answers I can imagine:
a) Immediately $m_2$ interacts with virtual-gravitons sent by $m_1$, a year ago.
b) 1 year. It takes this long for freshly launched virtual-gravitons from $m_1$ to reach $m_2$ and vice-versa before any effect is felt on either mass
c) 2 years. There needs to be an exchange of information / virtual-gravitons between $m_1$ and $m_2$ and this is the minimum time it could take.
d) None of the above
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