Gravitational waves are helping us crack the mystery of how pairs of black holes form
New research shows that as few as ten further detections of gravitational waves will help scientists know for sure how pairs of black holes form.
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Articles on Black holes
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A new discovery of gravitational waves has black holes in a spin
Scientists have made a third detection of gravitational waves, again caused by the merger of two black holes. But they think there's something different about the black holes in this case.
LIGO detects more gravitational waves, from even more ancient and distant black hole collisions
These ripples in the very fabric of the universe were hypothesized by Einstein a century ago. Now scientists have detected them for the third time in a year and a half – ushering in a new era in astrophysics.
Physicists use Einstein’s ‘spooky’ entanglement to invent super-sensitive gravitational wave detector
Einstein called entanglement "spooky action at a distance”. But now it's been used to design an incredibly sensitive detection method for gravitational waves.
Something big exploded in a galaxy far, far away: what was it?
A burst of gamma rays in a distant part of the universe reveals the birth of another black hole.
Astronomers to peer into a black hole for first time with new Event Horizon Telescope
The first ever picture of the Milky Way's black hole is expected to be a bright crescent shape rather than a disk.
Black holes are even stranger than you can imagine
The discovery of a new black hole adds to our understanding of these celestial objects that fascinate in both fact and fiction.
Why don’t we teach Einstein’s theories in school?
Einstein's theories of relativity underpin our understanding of the universe, yet they're not taught in high school. How can we change that?
Second detection heralds the era of gravitational wave astronomy
The observation of gravitational waves from a second black hole merger implies there are many more black holes in the universe than scientists had previously anticipated.
Gravitational waves found again: here’s how they could whisper the universe’s secrets
State of the art detectors have found another signal from a pair of collapsing black holes – the consequences could be momentous.
How we caught a black hole emitting intense wind
It was a rare and brief event, but powerful telescopes helped scientists get a glimpse of a black hole letting out a wind at 3,000km per second.
How to capture the violent tumult of our roiling universe, moment by moment
Stargazing seems such a quiet, calm activity. But whether our eyes can see or not, those stars out there are in constant flux. Time-domain astronomy studies how cosmic objects change with time.
Twisted light could dramatically boost internet speeds
The design of a new chip to detect the twisted nature of light waves could pave the way for next generation of optical communication technologies.
Supermassive black holes could be a source of mysterious cosmic rays
A new study suggests that mysterious high energy cosmic rays might originate from the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy.
How did the odd black holes detected by LIGO form – and can we spot them in the sky?
The hunt to find the source of the gravitational waves detected by LIGO on the sky is only just starting.
What would happen if Earth fell into a black hole?
The spectacular science of quasars, no hair theorum and spaghettification.
Timeline: the history of gravity
It's taken centuries for our understanding of gravity to evolve to where it is today, culminating in the discovery of gravitational waves, as predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago.
Gravitational waves discovered: top scientists respond
The long awaited discovery of gravitational waves has sent ripples through the scientific world. Here top experts respond to the historic announcement.
Gravitational waves discovered: the universe has spoken
The detection of gravitational waves is the final confirmation of Einstein's theory of general relativity, and opens up a new window into the cosmos.
When black holes meet: inside the cataclysms that cause gravitational waves
It takes something as stupendous as the merger between two black holes to generate detectable gravitational waves. Here's how such incredible cosmic objects form.
Top contributors
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Professor of Astrophysics, University of Sydney
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Director, WA Node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, and the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre, University of Western Australia
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Lecturer and ARC Future Fellow, Monash University
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Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow, University of Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Physics, University of Hull
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Professor of Astronomy, Swinburne University of Technology
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Research Fellow, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, CSIRO
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Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museum Victoria
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Professor of Gravitational Astrophysics and Cosmology, University of Glasgow
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Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Queen's University Belfast
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Director, Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto
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Associate professor, University of Western Australia
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PhD; Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics, Monash University
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ARC Laureate Fellow, Swinburne University of Technology., Swinburne University of Technology
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Professor of Theoretical Physics, Australian National University
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