Albert Abraham Michelson,
On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether
(1887)
“ For on the emission theory the velocity of light must be greater in the water telescope, and therefore the angle of aberration should be less; hence, in order to reduce it to its true value, we must make the absurd hypothesis that the motion of the water in the telescope carries the ray of light in the opposite direction! ”
Albert Abraham Michelson,
On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether
(1887)
“ If the earth were a transparent body, it might perhaps be conceded, in view of the experiments just cited, that the inter-molecular ether was at rest in space, notwithstanding the motion of the earth in its orbit; but we have no right to extend the conclusion from these experiments to opaque bodies. But there can hardly be question that the ether can and does pass through metals. Lorentz cites the illustration of a metallic barometer tube. When the tube is inclined the ether in the space above the mercury is certainly forced out, for it is imcompressible. ”
Albert Abraham Michelson,
On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether
(1887)
“ But again we have no right to assume that it makes its escape with perfect freedom, and if there be any resistance, however slight, we certainly could not assume an opaque body such as the whole earth to offer free passage through its entire mass. ”
