Gravitational waves are the last prediction of General Relat

Gravitational waves are the last prediction of General Relativity that has not been observed. Besides the excitement of the first detection, why are astronomers, specifically, excited about gravitational waves being detected and seen on a regular basis? In other words from the point of view of an astronomer why is observing gravitational waves important? Hint, think about how we normally observe the distant universe.

Solution

The gravitational waves are important to scientitists because, they have the advantage of being able to travel through matter and come out the other side unchanged, unlike the different forms of light used in traditional astronomy. This gives us the opportunity to observe things that do not emit light, like black holes or to observe systems that would otherwise be obscured by intervening material.