Gravitational Waves | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/gravitational-waves/RSS feed for Gravitational WavesenFri, 21 Nov 2025 21:28:22 +0000The Most Massive Black Hole Merger Ever Seen Was So Rare, It Seemed Impossible. Now, Astrophysicists May Finally Have an Explanationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-most-massive-black-hole-merger-ever-seen-was-so-rare-it-seemed-impossible-now-astrophysicists-may-finally-have-an-explanation-180987726/Past research about black hole births rarely included magnetic fields or the spins of the precursor stars. But considering those factors could explain the origins of two unusual objects that collidedFri, 21 Nov 2025 21:28:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-most-massive-black-hole-merger-ever-seen-was-so-rare-it-seemed-impossible-now-astrophysicists-may-finally-have-an-explanation-180987726/Physicists Detect the Most Massive Black Hole Merger Ever Observed by Studying Gravitational Waveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/physicists-detect-the-most-massive-black-hole-merger-ever-observed-by-studying-gravitational-waves-180986988/A short-lived ripple in space-time revealed that two black holes merged into a giant black hole with the mass of 225 sunsWed, 16 Jul 2025 18:30:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/physicists-detect-the-most-massive-black-hole-merger-ever-observed-by-studying-gravitational-waves-180986988/World's First Ultra-Precise Nuclear Clock Is Within Reach After Major Breakthrough, Researchers Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-first-ultra-precise-nuclear-clock-is-within-reach-after-major-breakthrough-researchers-say-180985048/The technology, enabled by thorium atoms, could keep time more accurately than atomic clocks and enable new discoveries about gravity, gravitational waves and dark matterMon, 23 Sep 2024 16:53:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-first-ultra-precise-nuclear-clock-is-within-reach-after-major-breakthrough-researchers-say-180985048/This 'Game-Changer' Detector Will Hunt for Giant Ripples in Spacetimehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-game-changer-detector-will-listen-for-giant-ripples-in-spacetime-180983674/Set to launch in 2035, the European Space Agency's LISA mission will listen for gravitational waves created by colliding black holes and neutron stars—and some might date nearly to the Big BangTue, 30 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-game-changer-detector-will-listen-for-giant-ripples-in-spacetime-180983674/Gravitational Waves Create a Constant 'Hum' Across the Universehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gravitational-waves-create-a-constant-hum-across-the-universe-180982457/Breakthrough research suggests the continuous ripples in spacetime could be caused by pairs of supermassive black holes, spiraling toward collisionsThu, 29 Jun 2023 21:16:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gravitational-waves-create-a-constant-hum-across-the-universe-180982457/Distant Black Hole Collides With a Mysterious Objecthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/distant-black-hole-collides-mysterious-object-180975193/Scientists detect what is either the heaviest known neutron star or the least massive black hole ever recordedFri, 26 Jun 2020 15:50:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/distant-black-hole-collides-mysterious-object-180975193/How It All Began: A Colleague Reflects On the Remarkable Life of Stephen Hawkinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/stephen-hawking-colleague-reflects-spectacular-success-180968480/The physicist probed the mysteries of black holes, expanded our understanding of the universe and captured the world's imagination, says Martin ReesWed, 14 Mar 2018 14:37:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/stephen-hawking-colleague-reflects-spectacular-success-180968480/Sometimes, a Scientific “Eureka!” Moment Really Does Change the Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sometimes-scientific-eureka-moment-really-does-change-world-180968331/Your plastic credit card, microwaveable popcorn and erection enhancers all owe to a fortuitous moment of connectionTue, 06 Mar 2018 13:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sometimes-scientific-eureka-moment-really-does-change-world-180968331/Fifty Years Ago, a Grad Student’s Discovery Changed the Course of Astrophysicshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Fifty-years-ago-grad-students-discovery-changed-course-astrophysics-180968288/By identifying the first pulsars, Jocelyn Bell Burnell set the stage for discoveries in black holes and gravitational wavesWed, 28 Feb 2018 14:43:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Fifty-years-ago-grad-students-discovery-changed-course-astrophysics-180968288/What the Neutron Star Collision Means for Dark Matterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-neutron-star-collision-means-dark-matter-180967016/The latest LIGO observations rekindle a fiery debate over how gravity works: Does the universe include dark matter, or doesn’t it?Tue, 31 Oct 2017 13:44:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-neutron-star-collision-means-dark-matter-180967016/