| − | '''Gravitational waves''' are distortions in space that travel at the [[speed of light]] away from a mass that accelerates. Predicted by [[Albert Einstein]]'s [[Theory of Relativity]] in 1916, gravitational waves were first observed and their existence confirmed in early 2016.<ref>http://journals.aps.org/prl/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102</ref> | + | '''Gravitational waves''' are theoretical distortions in space that travel at the [[speed of light]] away from a mass that accelerates. Predicted by [[Albert Einstein]]'s [[Theory of Relativity]] in 1916 -- and thus challenges to them are disfavored by universities -- gravitational waves have never been directly observed but purportedly exist anyway.<ref>http://journals.aps.org/prl/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102</ref> |
| − | Gravitational waves are essentially "ripples", similar to the ripples made in a pond when a pebble is tossed in, but on a cosmological scale. The mass in question are binary systems - pulsars, neutron stars, or black holes - which orbit around each other. According to Einstein's [[General relativity|General Theory of Relativity]], both objects emit gravitational waves while losing energy as they gradually approach, eventually resulting in a collision at one-half the speed of light, forming a single object as well as emitting a final, very strong burst of gravitational waves | + | Gravitational waves are theoretical "ripples", similar to the ripples made in a pond when a pebble is tossed in, but on a cosmological scale. The mass in question are binary systems - pulsars, neutron stars, or black holes - which orbit around each other. According to Einstein's [[General relativity|General Theory of Relativity]], both objects emit gravitational waves while losing energy as they gradually approach, eventually resulting in a collision at one-half the speed of light, forming a single object as well as emitting a final, very strong burst of gravitational waves |
| | As part of his relativity theory, Einstein came up with his "quadrupole formula", which describes the rate of wave emissions from a system of astronomical masses based on the change of the mass itself, what he called the "quadrupole moment". His formula as originally postulated was | | As part of his relativity theory, Einstein came up with his "quadrupole formula", which describes the rate of wave emissions from a system of astronomical masses based on the change of the mass itself, what he called the "quadrupole moment". His formula as originally postulated was |