Related papers: Reflections on three debated issues
In this paper an explanation of the Pioneer anomaly is given, using the hypothesis of the time dependent gravitational potential. The implications of this hypothesis on the planetary orbits and orbital periods are given in section 2. In…
A time-dependent gravitational constant or mass would correctly describe the suspected increasing of both: the Astronomical unit and the eccentricity of the Lunar orbit around the Earth.
In the last decade a major debate has emerged on the astrophysics community concerning the anomalous behaviour of the astronomical unit, the fundamental scale of distances in the Solar system. Several independent studies have combined radar…
There are at least four unexplained anomalies connected with astrometric data. Perhaps the most disturbing is the fact that when a spacecraft on a flyby trajectory approaches the Earth within 2000 km or less, it often experiences a change…
A general sketch on how the problem of space dimensionality depends on anthropic arguments is presented. Several examples of how life has been used to constraint space dimensionality (and vice-versa) are reviewed. In particular, the…
A general sketch of how the problem of space dimensionality depends on Anthropic arguments is presented. A new argument in favor of a stable scenario for space dimensionality for a time scale longer than that required for the existence of…
The empirical evidences in favor of the hypothesis that the speed of light decreases by a few centimeters per second each year are examined. Lunar laser ranging data are found to be consistent with this hypothesis, which also provides a…
Analysis of the radio-metric data from Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecrafts has indicated the presence of an unmodeled acceleration starting at 20 AU, which has become known as the Pioneer anomaly. The nature of this acceleration is uncertain. In…
The effect of the expanding universe on planetary motion is considered to first order in the Hubble constant H. Orbital elements are shown to be unaffected, but there is a small change in the connection between planetary proper time and…
A collection is made of presently unexplained phenomena within our Solar system and in the universe. These phenomena are (i) the Pioneer anomaly, (ii) the flyby anomaly, (iii) the increase of the Astronomical Unit, (iv) the quadrupole and…
Both the recently reported anomalous secular increase of the astronomical unit, of the order of a few cm yr^-1, and of the eccentricity of the lunar orbit e_ = (9+/-3) 10^-12 yr^-1 can be phenomenologically explained by postulating that the…
This paper discusses the likelihood of whether the Pioneer anomaly is due to 'mundane' systematic errors/effects or indicative of new or unappreciated physics. The main aim of this paper is to argue that recent publications suggesting that…
We briefly review two concepts of time - the usual time associated with "being" and more recent ideas, answering to the description of "becoming". The approximation involved in the former is examined. Finally we argue that it is…
In the context of a parametric theory (with the time being a dynamical variable) we consider the coupling between the quantum vacuum and the background gravitation that pervades the universe (unavoidable because of the universality of…
A model is presented in which the Pioneer anomaly is not related to the motion of the spaceship, but is a consequence of the acceleration of the cosmological proper time $\tau$ with respect to the coordinate parametric time $t$, what is an…
We propose here an explanation of the Pioneer anomaly which is not in conflict with the cartography of the solar system. In our model, the spaceship does not suffer any extra acceleration but follows the trajectory predicted by standard…
We have found that the expansion of the universe has immense consequences on our local systems. We present a model based on cosmic expansion that fits well with observation. The close approach problem inflicting tidal theory is averted in…
Some features of the Pioneer anomaly are discussed in context of author's explanation of this effect as a deceleration of the probes in the graviton background. It is noted that if the model is true then the best parameter of the anomalous…
The Doppler-tracking data of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft show an unmodelled constant acceleration in the direction of the inner Solar System. An overview of the phenomenon, commonly dubbed the Pioneer anomaly, is given and the…
Tidal distension of spacecraft electronics due to spin and solar and galactic gravitation elegantly explains all variations in the anomaly reported by Anderson et al. Contrary to their conclusion, a constant residue seems to be present in…