--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Gravitational waves will bring us…" description: "\"Gravitational waves will bring us exquisitely accurate maps of black holes - maps of their space-time. Those maps will make it crystal clear whether or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1a/kip-thorne-15554_accurate_gravitational-waves-will-bring-us-exquis_597598.jpg" --- # Gravitational waves will bring us exquisitely accurate… ![“Gravitational waves will bring us exquisitely accurate maps of black holes - maps of their space-time. Those maps will make it crystal clear whether or not what were dealing with are black holes as described by general relativity.” quote by Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1a/kip-thorne-15554_accurate_gravitational-waves-will-bring-us-exquis_597598.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1a/kip-thorne-15554_accurate_gravitational-waves-will-bring-us-exquis_597598.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1a/kip-thorne-15554_accurate_gravitational-waves-will-bring-us-exquis_597598.jpg) > “Gravitational waves will bring us exquisitely accurate maps of black holes - maps of their space-time. Those maps will make it crystal clear whether or not what were dealing with are black holes as described by general relativity.” [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gravitational waves let us map black holes’ space‑time, testing Einstein’s predictions with high precision. **In simple terms:** We can map black holes to test relativity. Key Takeaway Use wave data to verify black‑hole models. Themes science astrophysics verification Mood curious analytical Type scientific educational When to use this quote - observatory data analysis - theoretical modeling - educational outreach Key Concepts general relativity wave astronomy spacetime mapping Questions to Reflect On - What new physics could emerge from precise maps? - How reliable are current wave detections? A Different Perspective Models may be limited by detector sensitivity and noise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) [Black holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-holes/) [General relativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-relativity/) [Relativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relativity/) [Space time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-time/) [Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waves/) ## Related quotes > [General relativity predicts that time ends inside black holes because the gravitational collapse squeezes matter to infinite density.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/general-relativity-predicts-that-time-ends-inside-black-holes-because/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [We have to have a combination of general relativity that describes the warping of space and time, and quantum physics, which describes the uncertainties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/we-have-to-have-a-combination-of-general-relativity-that-describes/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [Observing gravitational waves would yield an enormous amount of information about the phenomena of strong-field gravity. If we could detect black holes collide, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/observing-gravitational-waves-would-yield-an-enormous-amount-of/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [We know about black holes and neutron stars, but we hope there are other phenomena we can see because of the gravitational waves they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-know-about-black-holes-and-neutron-stars-but-we-hope-there-are/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [When gravitational waves reach the earth, the waves stretch and squeeze space. This is a tiny stretch and squeeze. Far too small to detect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/when-gravitational-waves-reach-the-earth-the-waves-stretch-and/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [“We have good reason to believe that space and time begin to merge into quantum mechanical uncertainty at distances this small; they must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/we-have-good-reason-to-believe-that-space-and-time-begin-to-merge/) [Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/) > [Combining quantum entanglement with wormholes yields mind boggling results about black holes. But I don't trust them until we have a theory of everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/combining-quantum-entanglement-with-wormholes-yields-mind-boggling/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I became interested in this question of whether you can build wormholes for interstellar travel. I realized that if you had a wormhole, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/i-became-interested-in-this-question-of-whether-you-can-build/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [Einstein had looked at the numbers and dimensions that went into his equations for gravitational waves and said, essentially, 'This is so tiny that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/einstein-had-looked-at-the-numbers-and-dimensions-that-went-into-his/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [What was done is measure directly, with exquisitely sensitive instruments, gravitational waves predicted about 100 years ago by Albert Einstein. These waves are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/what-was-done-is-measure-directly-with-exquisitely-sensitive/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [I didn't understand the Weber bar and how gravitational waves interacted with it. I sat and thought about it over a weekend, trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/i-didn-t-understand-the-weber-bar-and-how-gravitational-waves/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [If the universe sprung into existence and then expanded exponentially, you get gravitational waves traveling through space-time. These would fill the universe, a pattern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-turok/if-the-universe-sprung-into-existence-and-then-expanded-exponentially/) [Neil Turok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-turok/) > [The cyclic universe theory predicts no gravitational waves from the early universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-cyclic-universe-theory-predicts-no-gravitational-waves-from-the/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The detection of gravitational waves is truly a triumph of modern large-scale experimental physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/the-detection-of-gravitational-waves-is-truly-a-triumph-of-modern/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [Gravitational waves, because they are so imperturbable - they go through everything - they will tell you the most information you can get about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/gravitational-waves-because-they-are-so-imperturbable-they-go-through/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) ## More by Kip Thorne > [My passion is to understand the non-linear dynamics of warped space-time, and the ideal venue for this is black-hole collisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/my-passion-is-to-understand-the-non-linear-dynamics-of-warped-space/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [I wanted to be a snowplow driver when I was a kid. Growing up in the Rocky Mountains, that's the most glorious job you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/i-wanted-to-be-a-snowplow-driver-when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [Black holes do not emit light, so you visualize them through gravitational lensing - how they bend light from other objects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/black-holes-do-not-emit-light-so-you-visualize-them-through/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [We'll have four different gravitational wave windows open within the next 20 years, and each of them will see something different. We'll be probing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/we-ll-have-four-different-gravitational-wave-windows-open-within-the/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [I can enjoy 'Harry Potter' and 'Star Trek,' but I really appreciate hard science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/i-can-enjoy-harry-potter-and-star-trek-but-i-really-appreciate-hard/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [I have used movies to go to sleep at night. You flip from channel to channel to channel and see just enough to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/i-have-used-movies-to-go-to-sleep-at-night-you-flip-from-channel-to/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [I got a lot of notoriety early on. Much of my career I was just trying to prove I was as good as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/i-got-a-lot-of-notoriety-early-on-much-of-my-career-i-was-just-trying/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [If you have a wormhole, then you can turn them into time machines for going backward in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/if-you-have-a-wormhole-then-you-can-turn-them-into-time-machines-for/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [Wormholes - if you don't have something threading through them to hold them open, the walls will basically collapse so fast that nothing can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/wormholes-if-you-don-t-have-something-threading-through-them-to-hold/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [A big misconception is that a black hole is made of matter that has just been compacted to a very small size. That's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/a-big-misconception-is-that-a-black-hole-is-made-of-matter-that-has/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [We're born with a curiosity about the universe. Those people who don't have a curiosity don't have it because it's gotten beaten out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/we-re-born-with-a-curiosity-about-the-universe-those-people-who-don-t/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [A black hole really is an object with very rich structure, just like Earth has a rich structure of mountains, valleys, oceans, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/a-black-hole-really-is-an-object-with-very-rich-structure-just-like/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [It was quite a surprise when I realized that with a single wormhole you could have time hook up towards the future or towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/it-was-quite-a-surprise-when-i-realized-that-with-a-single-wormhole/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [Each black hole spins on its axis like the Earth spins. That spin creates two vortexes of twisting space, somewhat like vortexes in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/each-black-hole-spins-on-its-axis-like-the-earth-spins-that-spin/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) > [We have to have a combination of general relativity that describes the warping of space and time, and quantum physics, which describes the uncertainties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-thorne/we-have-to-have-a-combination-of-general-relativity-that-describes/) [Kip Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) [Explore all 42 Kip Thorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-thorne/) ## More Accurate quotes > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... 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