Definitions for "Gravitational waves"
"ripples in the curvature of space-time" produced by disturbances caused by the movement of massive objects in space.
Disturbances or ripples in the fabric of space produced by violent events in the cosmos.
Predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity but so far only indirectly detected, these are the ripples or distortions of space-time produced by the motion of matter. Indirect detection of gravitational waves came from the discovery in 1974 that two pulsars in orbit around each other (PSR 1913 + 16) are gradually getting closer by exactly the amount predicted if the two objects were emitting gravitational waves. Direct detection of gravitational waves may come from future ground and space-based missions now being developed.