Physics

Explore every gravitational wave event spotted so far

Fifty events reveal the similarities and differences in these cosmic smashups

illustration of gravitational wave events

Gravitational waves, produced when behemoths like black holes and neutron stars spiral inward and merge, have been spotted 50 times (each event represented with a large circle above).

Nadieh Bremer/
VisualCinnamon.com

By Emily Conover and Nadieh Bremer

Throughout the universe, violent collisions of cosmic beasts such as black holes wrench the fabric of spacetime, producing ripples called gravitational waves. For most of history, humans have been oblivious to those celestial rumbles.