--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is the first real evidence that…" description: "\"This is the first real evidence that we've seen now of high gravitational field strengths: monstrous things like stars moving at the velocity of light,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a80/rainer-weiss-11997_astronomy_this-is-the-first-real-evidence-that-we_1298120.jpg" --- # This is the first real evidence that we've seen now of… ![“This is the first real evidence that we've seen now of high gravitational field strengths: monstrous things like stars moving at the velocity of light, smashing into each other, and making the geometry of space-time turn into some sort of washing machine.” quote by Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a80/rainer-weiss-11997_astronomy_this-is-the-first-real-evidence-that-we_1298120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a80/rainer-weiss-11997_astronomy_this-is-the-first-real-evidence-that-we_1298120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a80/rainer-weiss-11997_astronomy_this-is-the-first-real-evidence-that-we_1298120.jpg) > “This is the first real evidence that we've seen now of high gravitational field strengths: monstrous things like stars moving at the velocity of light, smashing into each other, and making the geometry of space-time turn into some sort of washing machine.” [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High gravitational fields cause extreme, chaotic effects on spacetime, like stars colliding at light speed. **In simple terms:** Strong gravity warps space and time dramatically. Key Takeaway Study extreme astrophysical events. Themes physicsysics cosmology spacetime Mood awe curiosity Type scientific informative When to use this quote - Black hole mergers - neutron star collisions - high‑energy astrophysics Key Concepts General relativity gravitational waves astrophysics Questions to Reflect On - How do we improve detection of such events? - What does this reveal about the universe's structure? A Different Perspective Observations are limited by detector sensitivity and noise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Geometry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geometry/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) ## Related quotes > [“the gravitational field is not diffused through space; the gravitational field is that space itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-rovelli/the-gravitational-field-is-not-diffused-through-space-the/) [Carlo Rovelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-rovelli/) > [“The fact that the force of gravity can be made to disappear for a brief time over a small region around any point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/the-fact-that-the-force-of-gravity-can-be-made-to-disappear-for-a/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“He understood that the sources of the gravitational field were not just ponderable matter but also field energy. 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I also want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chakshu-aggarwal/whenever-i-look-at-the-sky-in-the-place-of-stars-i-found-some-moving/) [Chakshu Aggarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chakshu-aggarwal/) > [We can say the stars are moving because we have a relative context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-can-say-the-stars-are-moving-because-we-have-a-relative-context/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [For reasons probably related to the popular vision of Albert Einstein and, also, the threat posed by black holes in comic books and science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/for-reasons-probably-related-to-the-popular-vision-of-albert-einstein/) [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/) > [Experimentally, we now have demonstrated that Einstein's theory is right in strong gravitational fields. That's important to a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/experimentally-we-now-have-demonstrated-that-einstein-s-theory-is/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [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 Rainer Weiss > [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/) > [The waves travel with the velocity of light and slightly squeeze and stretch space transverse to the direction of their motion. The first waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-waves-travel-with-the-velocity-of-light-and-slightly-squeeze-and/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [Experimentally, we now have demonstrated that Einstein's theory is right in strong gravitational fields. That's important to a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/experimentally-we-now-have-demonstrated-that-einstein-s-theory-is/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [You think Earth's gravity is really something when you're climbing the stairs. But, as far as physics goes, it is a pipsqueak, infinitesimal, tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/you-think-earth-s-gravity-is-really-something-when-you-re-climbing/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [We've seen black holes, which is already wonderful. We also expect to see the merger of neutron stars, and that was a thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-ve-seen-black-holes-which-is-already-wonderful-we-also-expect-to/) [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/) > [We were looking almost one-tenth of the way to the edge of the universe. We're planning to use the facilities we have to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-were-looking-almost-one-tenth-of-the-way-to-the-edge-of-the/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [It's very, very exciting that it worked out in the end that we are actually detecting things and actually adding to the knowledge, through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/it-s-very-very-exciting-that-it-worked-out-in-the-end-that-we-are/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [For reasons probably related to the popular vision of Albert Einstein and, also, the threat posed by black holes in comic books and science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/for-reasons-probably-related-to-the-popular-vision-of-albert-einstein/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [The whole idea of gravity curling up space, that is the epitome of what is going on in a black hole. I would've loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-whole-idea-of-gravity-curling-up-space-that-is-the-epitome-of/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [The obvious thing to me was, let's take freely floating masses in space and measure the time it takes light to travel between them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-obvious-thing-to-me-was-let-s-take-freely-floating-masses-in/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [All at once, funding was gone due to the Mansfield Amendment, which was a reaction to the Vietnam War. In the minds of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/all-at-once-funding-was-gone-due-to-the-mansfield-amendment-which-was/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [The whole world tried to reproduce the Weber experiments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-whole-world-tried-to-reproduce-the-weber-experiments/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [My father was a dictator in the true German sense. He suppressed my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/my-father-was-a-dictator-in-the-true-german-sense-he-suppressed-my/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [By the time we made the discovery in 2015, the National Science Foundation had put close to $1.1 billion into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/by-the-time-we-made-the-discovery-in-2015-the-national-science/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) [Explore all 57 Rainer Weiss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) ## More Astronomy quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. 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Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) Nicole Gentile > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) Sylviek > [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. 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