OK, here we go.
The speed of light is constant, regardless of one's frame of reference, or perspective. The typical thought experiment used to illustrate this concept is as follows:
Imagine you are traveling past Earth in a spaceship at the speed of light. Now turn on your headlights. What happens? Typically, assuming the speed of light is constant, one also assumes that the light stays put, right there at the source of illumination. To an observer on Earth, this is true. However, to you (in the spaceship), the light travels away from you at, you guessed it, the speed of light. This leads to the unfortunate conclusion that the two observers are seing two completely different things. In fact, they do not. At that speed, time works differently. It's illogical, but apparently proven by some top notch smart-asses. Like Einstien and Hawking and the like. Of course, a ship could not travel that fast, so the experiment remains imaginary, but the principle holds.
All other speeds are relative. Yes they are, Carter. If only one thing existed in the universe, and it was going realy realy realy fast, how could you tell? Assuming you are also there, then it is by how fast it passes you. How do you know you're not the one moving? The human stomach can detect acceleration, but not velocity. That's relative.
As far as refraction slowing down light, it doesn't really. It's an illusion. What happens, is light slams into a molecule. Different mollecules have different Indices of Refraction. The struck molecule absorbs the light and converts it into electromagnetic potential, then holds on to it. A higher Index of Refraction means that it can hold on to more EM before it "pops", spitting the light back out another side, based on it's frequency. The time this takes is longer that it would take the light to fly past the molecule unhindered, ergo the illusion of being slowed. The speed of light is unaffected.
I don't think I touched the original question, but that's what I know of such things.
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