An interactive recreation of the 1887 Michelson–Morley interferometer experiment. Adjust the aether wind speed, arm length, and rotation angle to see whether a fringe shift appears.
Michelson–Morley Experiment
Aether Wind
Apparatus
Display
💡 Key Physics
If aether exists, the arm along the wind takes longer for light to travel (upstream penalty).
The arm across the wind is slightly shorter in travel time.
Classical prediction: rotating the apparatus changes the arrival time difference,
producing a fringe shift. Result (1887):No fringe shift — aether does not exist.