Astronomers may have detected background ripples in spacetime itself

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The gravitational waves we’ve detected so far have been like tsunamis in the spacetime sea, but it’s believed that gentle ripples should also pervade the universe. Now, a 13-year survey of light from pulsars scattered across the galaxy may have revealed the first hints of these background signals.

Gravitational waves are distortions in the very fabric of space and time, usually created in collisions between black holes and/or neutron stars. The waves were first predicted a century ago by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, but weren’t directly detected until 2015, with dozens more picked up in the years since.

Although they originate from some of the most energetic events in the universe, by the time these waves reach Earth, they’re actually only distorting reality on incredibly tiny scales – roughly one thousandth the width of a proton.

Astronomers may have detected background ripples in spacetime itself

The gravitational waves we’ve detected so far have been like tsunamis in the spacetime sea, but it’s believed that gentle ripples should also pervade the universe. Now, a 13-year survey of light from pulsars scattered across the galaxy may have revealed the first hints of these background signals.

newatlas.com

 

[Jings]

Marshmallow Laser Feast made a visual simulation of distortions in spacetime.