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❪𖣐₂'❫ Gravitational-Wave Observatories ○｜Definition｜1st｜20260912121615-00-⌔
Gravitational-wave observatory - Wikipedia
Gravitational-wave observatory
A gravitational-wave detector (used in a gravitational-wave observatory) is any device designed to measure tiny distortions of spacetime called gravitational waves. Since the 1960s, various kinds of gravitational-wave detectors have been built and constantly improved. The present-day generation of laser interferometers has reached the necessary sensitivity to detect gravitational waves from astronomical sources, thus forming the primary tool of gravitational-wave astronomy.
The first direct observation of gravitational waves was made in September 2015 by the Advanced LIGO observatories, detecting gravitational waves with wavelengths of a few thousand kilometers from a merging binary of stellar black holes. In June 2023, four pulsar timing array collaborations presented the first strong evidence for a gravitational wave background of wavelengths spanning light years, most likely from many binaries of supermassive black holes.1
Printed 2026-09-12.
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Conover, Emily (15 September 2023). “Scientists have two ways to spot gravitational waves. Here are some other ideas”. sciencenews.org. Retrieved 17 September 2023. Just as light comes in a spectrum, or a variety of wavelengths, so do gravitational waves. Different wavelengths point to different types of cosmic origins and require different flavors of detectors. ↩
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