Gravitational wave

Physics Concepts and Laws
Astrophysical Concepts

Gravitational waves are waves in spacetime curvature produced by the relative motion of gravitating masses. Predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, they propagate at the speed of light and carry energy as gravitational radiation. Indirect evidence was obtained in 1974 through the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar. Direct detection began in 2015, when LIGO recorded a signal from two merging black holes.

Predicted by: Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity
Direct detection: September 2015
Propagation: Speed of light

Sources and credits

Article: Gravitational wave (English Wikipedia)
Wikidata: Q190035
Text: Card text is adapted from the English Wikipedia article by an automated summary. Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for its contributors. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Article history and contributors
Illustration: By Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes Collaboration/Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics/SciNet. CC BY-SA 4.0 · File page on Wikimedia Commons
Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes Collaboration/Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics/SciNet, http://www.black-holes.org/gw150914 (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-2XIuNFgD0)
Modifications: Resized and converted to WebP
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