Dear carlip-nospam:

wrote in message
...
....
If one wants to explain this as being due to the Sun's
atmosphere, one must claim not only that the
atmosphere extends *far* beyond the Sun (picture a
light ray passing 40 degrees from the Sun...), but also
that the density of this enormous, previously unnoticed
"atmosphere" just happens to vary in exactly the right
way to precisely reproduce the predictions of GR.

And to do that in such a way that Venus and Mercury are not
dropped into the Sun by drag, and still not displace the light
from the object through this now moving medium. A moving medium
would also alter the apparent position of the distant object
(Fizeau).

Yes, a real feat of tweaking...

David A. Smith