A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second).
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Evidence of gravitational waves was first deduced in 1974 through the motion of the double neutron star system PSR B1913+16, in which one of the stars is a pulsar that emits electro-magnetic pulses at radio frequencies at precise, regular intervals as it rotates.
Einstein's theory of General Relativity predicts that accelerating massive bodies will produce gravitational waves, vibrations in the fabric of spacetime.
Waves produced by quantum fields, such as light, are by nature both waves and particles. So, if gravitational fields are indeed quantum fields, then gravitational waves should also behave as particles. Those hypothetical particles are called gravitons.
We’ve known about gravitational waves for a long time. More than 100 years ago, a great scientist named Albert Einstein came up with many ideas about gravity and space.
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Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921.
Albert Einstein, official 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics photograph.
Einstein predicted that something special happens when two bodies—such as planets or stars—orbit each other. He believed that this kind of movement could cause ripples in space. These ripples would spread out like the ripples in a pond when a stone is tossed in. Scientists call these ripples of space gravitational waves.
What causes gravitational waves ?
The most powerful gravitational waves are created when objects move at very high speeds.
Some examples of events that could cause a gravitational wave are:
1) when a star explodes asymmetrically (called a supernova)
2) when two big stars orbit each other
3) when two black holes orbit each other and merge
