What are ripples and gravity waves?

Gravitational waves are ‘ripples’ in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe. Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity.

What do gravitational waves look like?

A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by. A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space.

How many gravitational wave detectors are there?

As of December 2019, LIGO has made 3 runs, and made 50 detections of gravitational waves. Maintenance and upgrades of the detectors are made between runs.

What are gravity clouds?

In a gravity wave, the upward moving region is the most favorable region for cloud development and the sinking region favorable for clear skies. That is why you may see rows of clouds and clear areas between the rows of clouds. A gravity wave is nothing more than a wave moving through a stable layer of the atmosphere.

Is light deflected by gravity?

In our everyday experience, light seems to travel in straight lines, unaffected by gravity. But that bending is not gravitational; it’s electromagnetic. However, light does bend when travelling around massive bodies like neutron stars and black holes. This is explained by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Where are the LIGO detectors?

The two primary research centers are located at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The detector sites in Hanford and Livingston are home to the interferometers that make LIGO an “observatory”.

Are all ocean waves gravity waves?

Wind waves (deep-water waves) have a period of about 20 seconds. The speed of all ocean waves is controlled by gravity, wavelength, and water depth. Most characteristics of ocean waves depend on the relationship between their wavelength and water depth.

When was the first attempt to measure the gravitational deflection of light?

1919 saw the first successful attempt to measure the gravitational deflection of light. Two British expeditions were organized and sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society.

How did Einstein calculate the deflection of light rays?

Einstein calculated that the deflection predicted by his theory would be twice the Newtonian value. The following image shows the deflection of light rays that pass close to a spherical mass.

What is the deflection angle of the Sun?

The deflection angle is largest when the light rays pass closest to the mass; α becomes smaller as d becomes larger. For the Sun, the curves look similar, but the predicted value of α is five thousand times smaller for rays that skim the surface of the Sun than for rays that skim the surface of this “pseudo” Sun.

Does gravity affect the path of light rays?

The pioneer of a mathematical description of gravity, Sir Isaac Newton, apparently wrote nothing about the effect of mass on the path of light rays, other than to note at the end of his treatise, “Opticks,” published in 1704, that light particles should be affected by gravity in the same way as is ordinary matter.