gravitational waves

This is not an actual image of a black hole. This artist’s impression shows the surroundings of a supermassive black hole, typical of that found at the heart of many galaxies. The black hole itself is surrounded by a brilliant accretion disc of very hot, infalling material and, further out, a dusty torus. There are also often high-speed jets of material ejected at the black hole’s poles that can extend huge distances into space. Illustration and caption by European Southern Observatory

WATCH: What does a black hole look like? Scientists reveal the first picture

By Nsikan Akpan

This artist’s impression shows two tiny but very dense neutron stars at the point at which they merge and explode to produce gravitational waves and a short gamma-ray burst, both of which were observed on Aug. 17. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser

Neutron star collision offers new source of gravitational waves

Astronomers have discovered a collision of neutron stars that released both a stream of gravitational waves and a flash of light, backing one of Einstein's theories.

By Rashmi Shivni

The collision of two black holes -- a tremendously powerful event that was detected for the first time ever by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO -- is seen in this still image from a computer simulation released in Washington February 11, 2016. The discovery marked the first detection of gravitational waves -- ripples in space and time hypothesized by Albert Einstein a century ago. Photo by REUTERS/The SXS (Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes)/Handout via Reuters

LIGO gravitational wave discoverers win 2017 Nobel Prize in physics

Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne have won the 2017 Nobel Prize for physics for leading the projects that discovered gravitational waves and proved an century-old Einstein theory.

By Nsikan Akpan

Einstein’s theory and ‘bent light’ reveal a way to weigh stars for first time

Rather than expose whether celestial objects need to go on a diet, this new weight scale offers a chance to learn more about the life cycle of stars, including our sun.

By Andrew Wagner

Artist's conception shows two merging black holes similar to those detected by LIGO. The black holes are spinning in a non-aligned fashion, which means they have different orientations relative to the overall orbital motion of the pair. LIGO found hints that at least one black hole in the system called GW170104 was non-aligned with its orbital motion before it merged with its partner. Image by LIGO/Caltech/MIT/Sonoma State (Aurore Simonnet)

‘Dancing’ black holes yield stellar object as massive as 49 suns

Astronomers announced they have detected another gravitational wave tearing through spacetime, changing of our understanding of black holes and other stellar phenomena.

By Andrew Wagner

Gravity waves, the sequel. LIGO detects second pair of crashing black holes

By Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American

The second confirmation of ripples in spacetime is announced by astronomers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).

Listening in on the ‘Black Hole Blues,’ the soundtrack of the universe

By PBS News Hour

February saw one of the most important astronomical breakthroughs of the decade, as a team of scientists “heard” gravitational waves -- a key postulate of Einstein’s theory of relativity -- for the first time in human history. Now, astrophysicist Janna…

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What’s the sound of two black holes colliding? Proof that Einstein was right

By PBS News Hour

Gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of spacetime -- aren’t just an Einstein theory any more. A team of international scientists announced Thursday that they confirmed the waves’ existence after recording feedback from a black hole collision a billion…

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The way we explore the universe just changed

By News Desk

One theoretical physicist explains why today's announcement about gravitational waves is so profound.

Gravitational waves discovered from colliding black holes

By Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American

Scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced on Thursday at a much-anticipated press conference in Washington, D.C. that the more than half-century search for gravitational waves has finally succeeded.