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in partnership with the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust

 

Waves

We are all familiar with waves; from ripples on the surface of a pond to the swell of the ocean. A wave is just a regular vibration that travels through something, like air or water. 

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Ripples on the surface of still water, caused by an object or disturbance, spreading out in concentric circles
Credit
This work by Pixabay is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

Gravitational Waves

Gravitational waves are tiny, invisible ripples in space. They travel for huge distances at the speed of light. The waves squeeze and stretch any objects they pass, but only by a tiny amount.

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An artists impression of gravity waves caused by binary neutrons stars. The stars are blue dots towards the upper right of the image. There appears to be ripples extending out from them, moving through a blue and yellow lattice grid.
Credit
This work by R.Hurt/JPL-Caltech is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
Artist impression of gravitational waves caused by two orbiting neutron stars.

Telescopes Quiz

Telescopes are used to magnify distant objects. They are a vital tool for astronomy. Over the last few hundred years, scientists and engineers have built bigger and better telescopes, revealing the mysteries of the Universe. But how much do you know about telescopes on Earth and beyond?