Gravitational Waves

Related Topics: Black Holes, Dark Matter, The Theory of Relativity in Space

Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time created by the interaction of massive objects in space, such as black holes and neutron stars. Their existence was first predicted by Albert Einstein in his 1916 paper describing his theory of general relativity. In 2015, scientists made the first detection of gravitational waves, observing ripples from the collision of two black holes. The discovery won astrophysicists Kip Thorne, Barry Baris and Rainer Weiss the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics. Subsequent observations have also detected gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars. Learn more about gravitational waves here.

Filter by Type

Your Selection All Articles Countdowns Image Albums Infographics Quizzes References Wallpapers

Exotic Matter Made in Space Could Boost the Hunt for Gravitational Waves

October 17, 2018 | Article

By launching a tiny, atom-packed chip into space and blasting it with lasers, German scientists have for the first time created an exotic state of matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate in space.
Read More
2019 Breakthrough Prize Honors Pulsar Discovery, 'Multi-Messenger Astronomy' and More

October 17, 2018 | Article

This year's Breakthrough Prize honors pulsar discoverer Jocelyn Bell Burnell, a pioneer in the field of multi-messenger astronomy, gravitational-wave researchers and scientists investigating the nature of gravity and the quantum realm.
Read More
Powerful Cosmic Flash Is Likely Another Neutron-Star Merger

October 17, 2018 | Article

Cataclysmic mergers of the superdense stellar corpses known as neutron stars may be common across the cosmos, a new study suggests.
Read More
If Extra Dimensions Do Exist, They Must Be Really, Really Small

September 30, 2018 | Article

So far, gravitational waves have found no hints of extra dimensions, but there may still be some really tiny ones lurking out there.
Read More
Faster Than Light? Neutron-Star Merger Shot Out a Jet with Seemingly Impossible Speed

September 05, 2018 | Article

The dramatic neutron-star merger that astronomers observed in August 2017 generated a jet of material that seemed to move four times faster than light, a new study reports.
Read More
Cosmic Zombies: Black Holes Can Reanimate Dead Stars

August 30, 2018 | Article

Close encounters with medium-size black holes can reanimate dead stars, if only momentarily, a new study suggests.
Read More
E.T., Phone Earth? How Neutron-Star Crashes Could Help Aliens Call Us

August 27, 2018 | Article

The first-ever observations of merging binary stars stunned the astronomy community last year, but not quite as much as the first-ever signal from extraterrestrial life might someday stun the world.
Read More
Space Jam! New Art Project Aims to Sound Out Aliens

July 24, 2018 | Article

If music really is a universal language, we can use it to make some long-sought cosmic connections. That's the idea behind Intergalactic Omniphonics, a new art project that aims to catch E.T.'s ear.
Read More
A Rare Cosmic Collision Might Let Scientists Calculate the Precise Age of the Universe

July 13, 2018 | Article

A so-far unseen celestial collision could be astronomers' best bet for figuring out just how quickly the universe is expanding.
Read More
Discovery of a Cosmic-Ray Source Is a Triumph of 'Multimessenger Astronomy'

July 12, 2018 | Article

The discovery of a cosmic-ray source is a triumph of multimesssenger astronomy, in which scientists use multiple types of signals to probe deep cosmological questions.
Read More