Gravitational Waves
How Gravitational Waves Could Let Us See the First Moments After the Big Bang
Cosmology has had several ground-breaking discoveries over the last 100+ years since Einstein developed his theory of relativity. Two of…
Future Gravitational Wave Observatories Could See the Earliest Black Hole Mergers in the Universe
In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed they made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves…
Two Supermassive Black Holes on a Collision Course With Each Other
Galaxy collisions are foundational events in the Universe. They happen when two systems mingle stars in a cosmic dance. They…
The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole Might Have Formed 9 Billion Years Ago
Large galaxies like ours are hosts to Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs.) They can be so massive that they resist comprehension,…
If Gravitons Exist, this Experiment Might Find Them
There are four fundamental forces in the Universe; strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravity. Quantum theory explains three of the four…
For Their Next Trick, Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect Collapsing Stars
The merging of black holes and neutron stars are among the most energetic events in the universe. Not only do…
Scientists Develop a Novel Method for Detecting Supermassive Black Holes: Use Smaller Black Holes!
In 1974, astronomers Bruce Balick and Robert L. Brown discovered a powerful radio source at the center of the Milky…
A Solution to the “Final Parsec Problem?”
Supermassive Black Holes are Nature's confounding behemoths. It's difficult for Earth-bound minds to comprehend their magnitude and power. Astrophysicists have…
Simulating the Last Moments Before Neutron Stars Merge
When stars reach the end of their life cycle, they shed their outer layers in a supernova. What is left…
More Evidence for the Gravitational Wave Background of the Universe
The gravitational wave background was first detected in 2016. It was announced following the release of the first data set…