Solar eclipse image taken aboard Gemini 12. Click on image for full size (44K JPG) Courtesy of NASA

A question more than four decades old will be answered soon. The last solar eclipse of the millennium was used by scientists around the world to test a theory first developed in 1954. A French economist named Maurice Allais believes that during an eclipse, Earth's gravitational pull slighty increases.

Allais tested his theory during two total solar eclipses, one in 1954, and another in 1959. He used an instrument called a Foucault pendulum. This special tool swings in the same direction of the Earth's axis. This means that as the Earth turns below it, the pendulum's path doesn't change.

During the tests, Allais found that the rate of movement changed by an extra 0.15 degrees. This would correlate with a slight increase in the Earth's gravitational pull. If his theory holds true, our entire concept of gravity will change. Through the past 40+ years, no one has been able to duplicate Allais' experiment with any success.

David Doever of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville decided to put the experiment to the test. Using the latest technology, Doever and his colleague, Ron Koczor, should put an end to this baffling question. Doever doesn't expect to find proof to support Allais, but believes such an theory must be investigated.

Solar eclipse image taken aboard Gemini 12. Click on image for full size (44K JPG) Courtesy of NASA

A question more than four decades old will be answered soon. The last solar eclipse of the millennium was used by scientists around the world to test a theory first developed in 1954. A French economist named Maurice Allais believes that during an eclipse, Earth's gravitational pull slighty increases.

Allais tested his theory during two total solar eclipses, one in 1954, and another in 1959. He used an instrument called a Foucault pendulum. This special tool swings in the same direction while the Earth turns underneath it. If his theory holds true, everything we know about gravity is false. Through the past 40+ years, no one has been able to duplicate Allais' experiment with any success.

David Doever of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville decided to put the experiment to the test. Doever doesn't expect to find proof to support Allais, but believes such an theory must be investigated.

Solar eclipse image taken aboard Gemini 12. Click on image for full size (44K JPG) Courtesy of NASA

An age old question is going to be answered! For over 40 years, scientists have wondered if a solar eclipse can change Earth's gravity. A scientist named Maurice Allais thinks that during an eclipse, Earth's gravity is greater.

Allais used a Foucault pendulum to test his theory. This special pendulum swings in the same direction, even though the Earth turns below it. Scientists tested the theory during the solar eclipse on August 11, 1999. They say that if Allais is right, all we know about gravity will change.