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Gravitational wave astronomy is a new field that uses gravitational waves to collect observational data about objects such as black holes and neutron stars, and events like supernovae, providing insights into aspects of the universe that are otherwise undetectable.

Gravitational waves are a central prediction of general relativity, which suggests that mass and energy can warp space-time, and moving masses can generate waves that propagate at the speed of light.

Before their direct detection, gravitational waves were indirectly evidenced by observations of the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar, which showed that the orbit of the two stars was decaying at a rate consistent with the energy lost to gravitational waves.

Gravitational waves stretch and squeeze space-time as they propagate, but their effect is extremely weak on Earth, requiring highly sensitive instruments like LIGO to detect.

Gravitational waves can also cause fluctuations in the passage of time, an effect called time dilation, which can be detected through precise timing measurements such as those made by atomic clocks.

Future detectors planned to be more sensitive include the space-based observatory LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) and the ground-based Einstein Telescope, enabling the detection of gravitational waves from a wider range of sources.

Gravitational waves were first predicted by Einstein in 1916 from his general theory of relativity. They were directly detected for the first time by the LIGO collaboration on September 14, 2015.

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a facility dedicated to the detection of gravitational waves using laser interferometry to measure minute changes in distance.

The Virgo interferometer is a large interferometer in Italy designed to detect gravitational waves. It works in collaboration with LIGO and other observatories to triangulate the origin of gravitational wave sources.