Controversial theory suggests the speed of light is SLOWER than first thought

Was Einstein wrong all along? Controversial theory suggests the speed of light is SLOWER than first thought.

*.Einstein claimed speed of light in a vacuum is 186,282 miles per second

*.But James Franson from Maryland University believes it is slower than this

*.In 1987, light particles of a supernova arrived 4.7 hours later t
han expected

*.Dr James Franson suggests this may be because of 'vacuum polarisation'

*.This, he claims, had a gradual, but significant, impact on speed of photons

*.If he is correct, it means scientists have to recalculate everything from our distance to the sun to some of the most distant objects in other galaxies
In 1905, Albert Einstein calculated that the speed of light remains at a constant 186,282 miles per second (299,792 km per second) when travelling through a vacuum.

While this theory has been accepted for over a century, a controversial new study suggests Einstein was in fact wrong, and that the speed of light is slower than we think.

The study was conducted by Baltimore-based physicist, James Franson, who looked at why light particles of supernova SN 1987A arrived 4.7 hours later than expected.

The star’s collapse, which was seen from Earth in 1987, triggered a burst of neutrinos - an electrically neutral, weakly interacting elementary subatomic particle.

According to Einstein, this should have happened roughly three hours before a burst of optical light - and from that moment on, the pulses should have kept pace, both travelling at the speed of light.

However, the optical light arrived roughly 7.7 hours after the neutrinos - or 4.7 hours late.