AstroLab
Two black holes become one
How does a shrinking orbit produce gravitational waves? GW150914, from two black holes to one remnant.
1 min 04 s · Interactive subtitled film
Takeaway: Waves carry energy away, shrink the orbit and accompany the merger.
Useful background
Orbit, gravity and energy.
How is such a tiny deformation measured on Earth?
The journey · 4 chapters
- Two invisible bodies
- A shrinking orbit
- The merger
- One black hole
Why explore it?
French and English subtitles. Adjustable playback speed, free navigation and sequence reframing. AI-assisted editorial review.