Newton's law of gravitation, proposed by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, is not considered "wrong" in the sense that it is completely inaccurate. Rather, it is considered an approximation that works well under many everyday circumstances but fails to fully describe the complexities of gravity in certain extreme situations or at very high speeds. Newton's law of gravitation can be superseded by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which provides a more comprehensive understanding of gravity.
Here are a few reasons why Newton's law of gravitation is considered an approximation:
Relativity: Newton's law of gravitation does not incorporate the effects of special and general relativity. In situations where objects are moving at speeds close to the speed of light or when dealing with extremely strong gravitational fields, such as near black holes, the predictions of Newtonian gravity are not accurate. General relativity provides a more complete framework for understanding gravity in these contexts.
Gravitational Waves: Newton's law does not account for the existence and propagation of gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by the acceleration of massive objects. They were predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity and were directly observed in 2015. Newtonian gravity cannot explain the behavior of gravitational waves.
Precession of Orbits: Newton's law predicts that planetary orbits are perfectly elliptical and static over time. However, it fails to account for small deviations in the orbits known as precession. General relativity explains these deviations, which have been observed and confirmed in astronomical observations.
It's important to note that Newton's law of gravitation is still widely used and highly accurate for many practical applications, such as predicting the motion of planets, satellites, and everyday objects on Earth. It provides a simple and effective approximation for most situations encountered in daily life and engineering applications. However, in extreme conditions or when dealing with high precision, the more comprehensive theory of general relativity is necessary.