Thanks Ethan, a couple of questions though: 1. If time slows and distance contracts approaching the speed of light then from light's POV it arrives instantaneously at all locations doesn't it? So is the 8 minute interval between Sun and Earth a phenomenon of human observation? 2. If mass distorts space time then wouldn't its effect be instantaneous after all? Like a ball rolling across the face of a steep slope - the slope is already there so it is instantly inclined to roll down it. 3. (My biggie) Without gravity, why would anything roll down a slope in spacetime anyway? This has always seemed to be a circular logic explanation that we gravity bound critters always fall for (excuse the pun). So the sun creates a 'dip' in space time that the earth rolls around... Without gravity a dip means nothing so it can't be used to explain gravity! It's like saying that an object placed on converging lines would magically move towards the convergence. I've never yet heard a convincing explanation from physicists of why curving spacetime causes acceleration and momentum. Can you help? Thanks! Adrian