Speed of Light
The speed of light according to the US National Bureau of Standards is 299792.4574 + 0.0011 km/s and according to the British National Physical Laboratory is 299792.4590 + 0.0008 km/s. In regard to the speed of light being a constant, Einstein declared in his paper written (1917):
"The results of the special relativity hold only so long as we are able to disregard the influence of gravitational fields on the phenomena".
To attain vacuum in Einstein’s sense of this word. It is not sufficient just to eliminate from a volume of space every atom, molecule and particle, it is necessary also to get rid of the gravitational field. Therefore, the effect of the solar gravitational field on the geocentric orbital motion of the moon is taken into account in the following calculations.
By international agreement, our "Solar Day" is the time from Noon to Noon and is exactly 24 hours long. However, the actual rotation period of the Earth is 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (called a Sidereal Day). Sidereal means with respect to the stars (rather than the Sun). After the Earth completes one rotation, the Earth must turn for an extra 4 minutes to bring the Sun back to the same exact point in the sky. Consequently, Solar Day is longer than the true rotation period of the Earth (Sidereal Day) by about 4 minutes. In 24 hours of solar time, the Earth rotates 360.986 degrees as opposed to 360 degrees for a Sidereal Day. Therefore, there are fewer Solar days per year than there are Sidereal days. The total number of seconds in a Sidereal day (approximately 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds) is 86164.09966s.
The time for the moon to return to the same position in the sky as viewed from earth is called the Sidereal month (27.321661 days) which represents the actual real net time of one revolution in the moon's orbit. This orbit is almost circular having an average radius R=384264 km.
The length of the moons' orbit L and the time T of one terrestrial day are correlated in a marvelous Qur’anic verse which describes a universal constant velocity of a certain cosmic affair as follows.
يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥٓ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
He arranges [each] matter from heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day,
the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count. 32:5
The Qur’anic expression " of those which you count " leaves no doubt as to our understanding of the year as the lunar year since the Arabs, Christians and Jews of that era all had lunar calendars.
The verse begins with a reference to a certain "cosmic affair or matter" which Allah(SWT) creates and commands. This affair travels, permanently through the whole universe between the heavens and the Earth, so speedily that it crosses in ONE DAY a maximum distance in space equivalent to that which the moon passes during ONE THOUSAND LUNAR YEAR (i.e. during 12000 Sidereal months). What could this cosmic affair be? and what is its greatest velocity as expressed in this Qur’anic equation?
"Distance crossed in vacuum by the universal cosmic affair in sidereal day"
is equal to
"length of 12000 revolutions of the moon around the earth"
The Physics formula for speed, time, and distance is: (speed) x (time) = (distance)
Now, let’s calculate the average orbital velocity of the moon
V = 2π * R / T
substituting (R = 384264 km) and (T = 655.71986 hr, the sidereal lunar month)
V = (2 * 3.1416 * 384264 ) / 655.71986 = 3682.07 km/hr
This value is given in all textbooks of astronomy and is accepted by NASA.
Let's consider “β” to be the angle travelled by the earth-moon system around the sun during one sidereal month (27.321661 days). We can calculate “β” if we take into consideration the period (365.25636 days) of one heliocentric revolution (1 year) of the earth-moon system.
β = (27.321661 * 360) / 365.25636 = 26.92848 degrees
Since the presence of the sun changes the geometrical properties of space and time, we must screen out its gravitational effect on the earth moon system according to the validity condition of the second postulate of special relativity (i.e. we must only consider the lunar geocentric motion without the heliocentric motion of the earth-moon system). The velocity component velocity is (velocity * cos β) representing the net orbital velocity of the moon is introduced for calculating the net length “L” of the lunar orbit assuming a stationary earth.
L = V * cos β * T
From equation (1) and (3) we get a new Qur’anic relation for the earth moon system:
Ct = 12000 (V * cos β * T ) solving for "C", we get
C = 12000 (V * cos β * T ) / t
substituting the sidereal values of the periods t and T, the NASA value of the measured orbital lunar velocity V = 3682.07 km/hr., and the calculated value of cos β = cos 26.92848 = 0.89157, we get the velocity of the cosmic affair that is referred to in the Holy Qur’an.
C=12000 * (3682.07 * 0.89157 * 655.71986) / 86164.0906
C = 299792.5 km/s
Thus the cosmic affair, mentioned in the previous Qur’anic verse, is identical to LIGHT and all similar cosmic affairs travelling in vacuum with this maximum speed such as: all types of electromagnetic waves propagating between the heavens and the earth, the expected Gravitational waves spreading all over the universe, and all particles travelling in this cosmic greatest speed such as neutrinos.
It is very interesting to mention here the second Qur’anic verse that hints at the same relativistic Qur’anic equation in the earth-moon system: God Most High said:
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِندَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَ
And they urge you to hasten the punishment. But Allah will never fail in His promise. And indeed,
a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count. 22:47
يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ فِى يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُۥٓ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ مِّمَّا تَعُدُّونَT
He arranges [each] matter from heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day,
the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count. 32:5
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلشَّمْسَ ضِيَآءً وَٱلْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُۥ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا۟h
عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
It is He who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know. 10:5
Conclusion:
It is amazing to find a new astronomical relation between the radius of the lunar orbit R and the time t of one terrestrial day deduced according to a new relativistic interpretation of the Qur’anic verse alluding to the greatest universal speed identical to the velocity C of light in vacuum.
It is so awesome to find unity in the complex of phenomena, that at first sight appears to have nothing in common. This work proves the universality and constancy of the fundamental constant C as the Greatest Cosmic Speed and reveals the Glorious Holy Qur’an as the Word of the Creator!