gravitational waves

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Gravitational Wave Detector Will Be a 'Game-Changer'

2035 LISA mission will hunt for ripples in space-time

(Newser) - As part of his theory of general relativity, Albert Einstein predicated a body accelerating in space would create radiating ripples in space-time. He was, of course, correct. But he was wrong about one thing. Einstein believed gravitational waves, even those caused by the collision of massive objects, would be too...

Scientists' Understanding of Black Holes Is Rattled

2 black holes merged into never-before-seen size

(Newser) - Black holes are getting stranger—even to astronomers, who've now detected the signal from a long-ago violent collision of two black holes that created a new one of a size that had never been seen before. "It's the biggest bang since the Big Bang observed by humanity,...

Behold, a 'New Era in Astronomy' Is Born

Researchers witness collision of 2 neutron stars, and the result is monumental

(Newser) - It was a faint signal, but it told of one of the most violent acts in the universe, and it would soon reveal secrets of the cosmos, including how gold was created, per the AP . What astronomers witnessed in August and revealed Monday was the long-ago collision of two neutron...

Physicists Who Found Einstein's Waves Awarded the Nobel

3 scientists will split the prize

(Newser) - The 2017 Nobel Physics Prize has been awarded to three scientists for their discoveries in gravitational waves, per the AP . Sweden's Royal Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday that the winners are Rainer Weiss of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Barry Barish and Kip Thorne of the California Institute...

Scientists Detect 2nd Gravitational Wave From Crashing Black Holes

A crucial second note heard in soundtrack of chaotic cosmos

(Newser) - Astronomers say they've heard the echoes of two more crashing black holes—a discovery that hints that the unseen violence of the universe may be pretty common, the AP reports. They detected a second gravitational wave. That's the warp in the fabric in the cosmos that Albert Einstein...

Earth to $273M Satellite: What Happened to You?

Japan tries reconnecting with Hitomi

(Newser) - Japan has sort of lost something—a $273M satellite just launched to monitor X-rays coming from galaxy clusters and black holes, Discovery News reports. "We're taking the situation seriously," says Saku Tsuneta, a senior official at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). "We know approximately where...

4 Reactions to the Gravitational Waves Discovery

'I'm delighted'

(Newser) - After weeks of speculation, a team of LIGO scientists announced the long-awaited discovery of gravitational waves on Thursday. The discovery confirms a portion of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity 100 years after he first predicted gravitational waves. A lot of people were understandably excited. Here are some of...

Gravitational Waves Have Been Detected

Albert Einstein FTW!

(Newser) - Albert Einstein predicted it in 1916; scientists confirmed it in 2016: Gravitational waves have been detected, an effort backed by "2 detectors, 1,000 scientists, 16 countries, and 25 years," as an introductory video trumpeted at a Thursday morning press conference . "Ladies and gentlemen, we have detected...

What It Means If Gravitational Waves Were Detected

The big press conference is scheduled for 10:30am ET

(Newser) - A press conference scheduled for 10:30am ET Thursday has the scientific world on the edge of its seats. The rumor/expectation/prevailing hope: that 100 years after Albert Einstein predicted their existence, the hunt for gravitational waves has led to their direct detection. In a media advisory released Monday, the National...

Rumors of a Massive Physics Discovery Swirl

'Probably a shoo-in for this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics'

(Newser) - Rarely does a tweet not involving a Kardashian or a cat stir up such a swell of excitement. On Monday, physicist Lawrence Krauss tweeted that scientists may have discovered gravitational waves, phenomena first predicted by Albert Einstein more than 100 years ago but never observed, Gizmodo reports. "If true...

Massive Space Mission to Test Einstein Theory

Three ships to fire lasers at each other near sun

(Newser) - NASA and the European Space Agency are preparing to shoot three spacecraft into orbit around the sun and have them fire laser beams at each other, in an attempt to detect gravitational waves—the last unproven piece of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. They're calling the whole thing the...

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