RELATIVISTIC PRECESSION OF THE ORBITAL PERIHELION REVISITED

In this work the problem of the precession of the orbital perihelion p redicted by the theory of general relativity is revisited. After findi ng an exact solution of the relativistic equation of motion of a parti cle moving under a gravitational force that varies inversely with the square of the distance to a fixed attraction centre of mass M, a new r elation for the angular precession is obtained in terms of a Keplerian or Newtonian ellipse parameters: the eccentricity epsilon and the sem i-major axis a. Numerical values of the angular precession are given f or Mercury and Venus. Finally, comparing these values with those given by the famous Einstein formula, it is concluded that a significant im provement is obtained which could be tested by experiments.