In physics, a gravitational wave is a fluctuation in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, the waves transport energy known as gravitational radiation. Sources of gravitational waves include binary star systems composed of white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes.

Although gravitational radiation has not yet been directly detected, it has been indirectly shown to exist. This was the basis for the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded for measurements of the Hulse-Taylor binary system. Various gravitational wave detectors exist.

In Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity is postulated to be a result of the curvature of spacetime. This curvature is caused by the presence of massive objects. Roughly speaking, the more massive the object is, the greater the curvature it produces and hence the more intense the gravity.

As massive objects move around in spacetime, the curvature changes to reflect the changed locations of those objects. In certain circumstances, objects that are accelerated generate a disturbance in spacetime which spreads like ripples on the surface of a pond. This disturbance is known as gravitational radiation.

Gravitational radiation is thought to travel through the Universe at the speed of light, diminishing in strength but never stopping or slowing down.

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