New test of general relativity: Measurement of de Sitter geodetic precession rate for lunar perigee
Abstract
According to general relativity, the calculated rate of motion of lunar perigee should include a contribution of 19.2 msec/yr from geodetic precession. We show that existing analyses of lunar-laser-ranging data confirm the general-relativistic rate for geodetic precession with respect to the planetary dynamical frame. In addition, the comparison of Earth-rotation results from lunar laser ranging and from very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) shows that the relative drift of the planetary dynamical frame and the extragalactic VLBI reference frame is small. The estimated accuracy is about 10%.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- March 1987
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.1062
- Bibcode:
- 1987PhRvL..58.1062B
- Keywords:
-
- Earth-Moon System;
- Lunar Rangefinding;
- Precession;
- Relativity;
- Earth Rotation;
- Laser Range Finders;
- Perigees;
- Rates (Per Time);
- Very Long Base Interferometry;
- MOON;
- MOTION;
- CELESTIAL MECHANICS;
- GEODESY;
- DYNAMICS;
- LASER METHODS;
- ASTRONOMY;
- CALCULATIONS;
- INTERFEROMETRY;
- VLBI;
- GRAVITY PROPERTIES;
- Astronomy; Moon;
- 04.80.+z;
- 95.10.Jk;
- 96.20.-n;
- Astrometry and reference systems;
- Moon