Synthetic Gravitational Sky

Watch as gravitational waves from a simulated population of compact binary systems combine into a synthetic map of the entire sky. Such systems contain white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes in tight orbits. Maps like this using real data will be possible once space-based gravitational wave observatories become active in the next decade. Brighter spots indicate sources with stronger signals and lighter colors indicate those with higher frequencies. Larger colored patches show sources whose positions are less well known. The inset shows the frequency and strength of the gravitational signal, as well as the sensitivity limit for LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), an observatory now being designed by ESA (European Space Agency) in collaboration with NASA for launch in the 2030s.

Music credit: "Shadowless" from Universal Production Music

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
Science writer: Francis Reddy (University of Maryland College Park)
Visualizer: James Ira Thorpe (NASA/GSFC)

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