ATPEW – Planetary-Scale Falsifiability: From Mercury's Perihelion Precession to Stellar and Galactic Dynamics

This paper presents a planetary-scale falsifiability test of the ATPEW (Aldon Theory of a Primordial Energy Wave) framework through the classical problem of Mercury’s perihelion precession. In ATPEW, gravitation is interpreted not as geometric curvature but as a local reduction of the propagation velocity of a primordial energy wave. Orbital anomalies arise from phase-gradient variations in this energy flux. Using this formulation, the observed relativistic advance of Mercury’s perihelion emerges as a natural consequence of flux dynamics without invoking spacetime curvature. The same formalism applies continuously across scales, linking solar-system orbital mechanics to stellar environments and, ultimately, to galactic dynamics. The study demonstrates that the equations governing phase drift at planetary scales are consistent with those previously applied to the Pioneer anomaly and galaxy rotation curves. This cross-scale coherence supports the existence of a universal flux-based gravitational mechanism and provides a direct, historically validated test of the ATPEW model within the inner Solar System.