Gravitational Waves

space · physics · Einstein · waves

Ripples in spacetime. Gravitational waves are like ripples spreading out through the fabric of space and time, similar to ripples on a pond but invisible and traveling at the speed of light.

Einstein predicted them. Albert Einstein figured out that gravitational waves should exist based on his theory of general relativity, which explains how gravity actually works.

Finally observed directly. For about 100 years, scientists could only detect gravitational waves indirectly, but starting in 2015, special observatories called LIGO detected them directly for the first time.

Created by massive motion. Gravitational waves are produced when huge objects like neutron stars or black holes move around each other very quickly, sending waves through the universe.

Hundreds detected now. Scientists have observed hundreds of gravitational wave events since 2015, and this has opened up a completely new way to study the universe.