Michelson-Morley experiment

The Michelson-Morley experiment, conducted in 1887, aimed to detect a medium called "aether," thought to carry light waves through space. The experiment used an interferometer to split a beam of light, sending each part in perpendicular directions. If the Earth moved through aether, the light beams would take different times to reunite, creating a detectable pattern. However, the results showed no significant difference in travel times, suggesting that aether did not exist. This finding challenged existing theories and eventually contributed to the development of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, reshaping our understanding of light and motion.