Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production Music
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
Alt text: Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection
0:00 Distorting orange waves travel outward as black holes orbit on a purple gradient background with lines and crosses on a grid.
0:04 Text reads \"Orbiting objects make gravitational waves, outward-moving ripples in space-time.\"
0:11 Orbiting white dwarf stars appear against a starry background. We first view the system from above its orbital plane and tip toward a nearly side-on view. Text reads \"Close binaries made of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar-mass black holes produce strong gravitational wave signals.\" A purple spiral emanates from the binary as the camera pulls back.
0:21 A pure tone sounds as a graph appears below the binary. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" A single purple bar rises midway across the graph. Text reads \"This tone, boosted into the range of human hearing, simulates that signal.\"
0:30 Text reads \"If planets orbit such binaries, those signals become modified in a simple way.\"
0:31 A new system fades in, where a big planet orbits two white dwarfs.
0:36 Purple gravitational waves again appear, but in a different configuration. Text reads: \"The planet’s gravitational tug moves the binary.\"
0:43 The graph reappears, and the central bar now has two smaller companions on each side. The smallest ones are farthest from the center. Text reads \"And this changes the signal.\"
0:45 A tone again emerges but now resembles a ringing signal.
0:49 Against a starry sky, a yellow Sun appears with Earth tracing an orbit around it. A red triangle representing the LISA observatory spins as it follows Earth, and a red line traces its orbit.
0:53 Text reads \"A space-based gravitational wave detector like ESA’s LISA mission\"
1:01 The camera sweeps through a starfield and settles on a smattering of stars. Double circles appear around four of them. Text reads \"could find a wide range of planets throughout our galaxy in this way.\"
1:04 A flash and a grid showing 12 exoplanets appears.
1:07 The camera pulls back and more planets appear.
1:09 The NASA insignia appears.
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"alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Alt text: Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection0:00 Distorting orange waves travel outward as black holes orbit on a purple gradient background with lines and crosses on a grid.0:04 Text reads \"Orbiting objects make gravitational waves, outward-moving ripples in space-time.\"0:11 Orbiting white dwarf stars appear against a starry background. We first view the system from above its orbital plane and tip toward a nearly side-on view. Text reads \"Close binaries made of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar-mass black holes produce strong gravitational wave signals.\" A purple spiral emanates from the binary as the camera pulls back.0:21 A pure tone sounds as a graph appears below the binary. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" A single purple bar rises midway across the graph. Text reads \"This tone, boosted into the range of human hearing, simulates that signal.\"0:30 Text reads \"If planets orbit such binaries, those signals become modified in a simple way.\"0:31 A new system fades in, where a big planet orbits two white dwarfs. 0:36 Purple gravitational waves again appear, but in a different configuration. Text reads: \"The planet’s gravitational tug moves the binary.\" 0:43 The graph reappears, and the central bar now has two smaller companions on each side. The smallest ones are farthest from the center. Text reads \"And this changes the signal.\"0:45 A tone again emerges but now resembles a ringing signal.0:49 Against a starry sky, a yellow Sun appears with Earth tracing an orbit around it. A red triangle representing the LISA observatory spins as it follows Earth, and a red line traces its orbit. 0:53 Text reads \"A space-based gravitational wave detector like ESA’s LISA mission\"1:01 The camera sweeps through a starfield and settles on a smattering of stars. Double circles appear around four of them. Text reads \"could find a wide range of planets throughout our galaxy in this way.\"1:04 A flash and a grid showing 12 exoplanets appears.1:07 The camera pulls back and more planets appear. 1:09 The NASA insignia appears. ",
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"alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Alt text: Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection0:00 Distorting orange waves travel outward as black holes orbit on a purple gradient background with lines and crosses on a grid.0:04 Text reads \"Orbiting objects make gravitational waves, outward-moving ripples in space-time.\"0:11 Orbiting white dwarf stars appear against a starry background. We first view the system from above its orbital plane and tip toward a nearly side-on view. Text reads \"Close binaries made of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar-mass black holes produce strong gravitational wave signals.\" A purple spiral emanates from the binary as the camera pulls back.0:21 A pure tone sounds as a graph appears below the binary. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" A single purple bar rises midway across the graph. Text reads \"This tone, boosted into the range of human hearing, simulates that signal.\"0:30 Text reads \"If planets orbit such binaries, those signals become modified in a simple way.\"0:31 A new system fades in, where a big planet orbits two white dwarfs. 0:36 Purple gravitational waves again appear, but in a different configuration. Text reads: \"The planet’s gravitational tug moves the binary.\" 0:43 The graph reappears, and the central bar now has two smaller companions on each side. The smallest ones are farthest from the center. Text reads \"And this changes the signal.\"0:45 A tone again emerges but now resembles a ringing signal.0:49 Against a starry sky, a yellow Sun appears with Earth tracing an orbit around it. A red triangle representing the LISA observatory spins as it follows Earth, and a red line traces its orbit. 0:53 Text reads \"A space-based gravitational wave detector like ESA’s LISA mission\"1:01 The camera sweeps through a starfield and settles on a smattering of stars. Double circles appear around four of them. Text reads \"could find a wide range of planets throughout our galaxy in this way.\"1:04 A flash and a grid showing 12 exoplanets appears.1:07 The camera pulls back and more planets appear. 1:09 The NASA insignia appears. ",
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"alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Alt text: Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection0:00 Distorting orange waves travel outward as black holes orbit on a purple gradient background with lines and crosses on a grid.0:04 Text reads \"Orbiting objects make gravitational waves, outward-moving ripples in space-time.\"0:11 Orbiting white dwarf stars appear against a starry background. We first view the system from above its orbital plane and tip toward a nearly side-on view. Text reads \"Close binaries made of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar-mass black holes produce strong gravitational wave signals.\" A purple spiral emanates from the binary as the camera pulls back.0:21 A pure tone sounds as a graph appears below the binary. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" A single purple bar rises midway across the graph. Text reads \"This tone, boosted into the range of human hearing, simulates that signal.\"0:30 Text reads \"If planets orbit such binaries, those signals become modified in a simple way.\"0:31 A new system fades in, where a big planet orbits two white dwarfs. 0:36 Purple gravitational waves again appear, but in a different configuration. Text reads: \"The planet’s gravitational tug moves the binary.\" 0:43 The graph reappears, and the central bar now has two smaller companions on each side. The smallest ones are farthest from the center. Text reads \"And this changes the signal.\"0:45 A tone again emerges but now resembles a ringing signal.0:49 Against a starry sky, a yellow Sun appears with Earth tracing an orbit around it. A red triangle representing the LISA observatory spins as it follows Earth, and a red line traces its orbit. 0:53 Text reads \"A space-based gravitational wave detector like ESA’s LISA mission\"1:01 The camera sweeps through a starfield and settles on a smattering of stars. Double circles appear around four of them. Text reads \"could find a wide range of planets throughout our galaxy in this way.\"1:04 A flash and a grid showing 12 exoplanets appears.1:07 The camera pulls back and more planets appear. 1:09 The NASA insignia appears. ",
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"alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Alt text: Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection0:00 Distorting orange waves travel outward as black holes orbit on a purple gradient background with lines and crosses on a grid.0:04 Text reads \"Orbiting objects make gravitational waves, outward-moving ripples in space-time.\"0:11 Orbiting white dwarf stars appear against a starry background. We first view the system from above its orbital plane and tip toward a nearly side-on view. Text reads \"Close binaries made of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar-mass black holes produce strong gravitational wave signals.\" A purple spiral emanates from the binary as the camera pulls back.0:21 A pure tone sounds as a graph appears below the binary. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" A single purple bar rises midway across the graph. Text reads \"This tone, boosted into the range of human hearing, simulates that signal.\"0:30 Text reads \"If planets orbit such binaries, those signals become modified in a simple way.\"0:31 A new system fades in, where a big planet orbits two white dwarfs. 0:36 Purple gravitational waves again appear, but in a different configuration. Text reads: \"The planet’s gravitational tug moves the binary.\" 0:43 The graph reappears, and the central bar now has two smaller companions on each side. The smallest ones are farthest from the center. Text reads \"And this changes the signal.\"0:45 A tone again emerges but now resembles a ringing signal.0:49 Against a starry sky, a yellow Sun appears with Earth tracing an orbit around it. A red triangle representing the LISA observatory spins as it follows Earth, and a red line traces its orbit. 0:53 Text reads \"A space-based gravitational wave detector like ESA’s LISA mission\"1:01 The camera sweeps through a starfield and settles on a smattering of stars. Double circles appear around four of them. Text reads \"could find a wide range of planets throughout our galaxy in this way.\"1:04 A flash and a grid showing 12 exoplanets appears.1:07 The camera pulls back and more planets appear. 1:09 The NASA insignia appears. ",
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"description": "The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory, now in development, will detect gravitational waves, the tiny ripples in space-time caused by orbiting masses. New studies explore how LISA could reveal a new and unique population of exoplanets — worlds beyond our solar system — throughout our galaxy.
The most common source for LISA is expected to be double white dwarf systems, which are binaries composed of white dwarfs in tight orbits. If an exoplanet also orbits within one of these systems, its presence becomes imprinted on the gravitational wave signal in a way we’ll be able to uncover.
The LISA detection method is similar to one called radial velocity that uses light and is already employed to find exoplanets around nearby stars. As a planet orbits, its gravity tugs on its host star, imparting a small reflex motion, or wobble, onto it. This wobble causes the star’s spectrum to oscillate, with spectral lines shifting from redder wavelengths as the star moves away from us to bluer ones as the star moves toward us. The shift is due to a phenomenon called the Doppler effect.
Something similar occurs with gravitational waves. By themselves, double white dwarfs will emit gravitational waves at a nearly continuous frequency. Add a sufficiently massive planet to the system, and its presence causes the binary to experience reflex motion, adding a Doppler modulation to the gravitational signal. For LISA, this modulation will appear as sidebands, secondary signals at both higher and lower frequencies than the primary one.
Scientists liken the situation to modern radio communication, where some of the energy of a main radio carrier frequency goes into forming sidebands at adjacent upper and lower frequencies that carry messages (like voices or music). For gravitational waves, the sidebands carry messages about the presence of a planet.
Using this technique for a test case system at a distance of 500 light-years, researchers have found that LISA could detect a sub-Jupiter exoplanet under ideal circumstances.",
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"description": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production Music
Alt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection
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The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1920, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 526092, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206351, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_Final_10mbps.mp4", "filename": "15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_Final_10mbps.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1920, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 526091, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206350, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_Final_25mbps.mp4", "filename": "15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_Final_25mbps.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1920, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 526094, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206353, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2Vert.en_US.srt", "filename": "LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2Vert.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 526095, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206354, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2Vert.en_US.vtt", "filename": "LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2Vert.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 526093, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206352, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_Final_ProRes_1080x1920_30.mov", "filename": "15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_Final_ProRes_1080x1920_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: Vertical video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1920, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 381170, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15117/#media_group_381170", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Music: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production Music
Alt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detection
Visual description same as above.", "items": [ { "id": 526096, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206355, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Still.jpg", "filename": "LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526098, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206357, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Final_10mbps.mp4", "filename": "15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Final_10mbps.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526097, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206356, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Final_25mbps.mp4", "filename": "15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Final_25mbps.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526099, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206358, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Final_ProRes_1080x1350_30.mov", "filename": "15117_LISA_GW_Exoplanet_VERT_4x5_Final_ProRes_1080x1350_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526100, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206359, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2_4x5.en_US.srt", "filename": "LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2_4x5.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 526101, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206360, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2_4x5.en_US.vtt", "filename": "LISAGWExoplanetsCaptions2_4x5.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "Watch to learn how the presence of a planet modifies the gravitational wave signal from tightly orbiting white dwarfs. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatory could detect a Jupiter-mass planet in such systems up to thousands of light-years away.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “A Light Left Burning” Lukas Knoebl [SESAC], Universal Production MusicAlt text: 4x5 vertical Video explainer of LISA exoplanet detectionVisual description same as above.", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 381171, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15117/#media_group_381171", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems produce a signal with a nearly continuous frequency. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Description: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background. A purple spiral emanates from the binary. A pure tone sounds, and a graph appears below the binary; a single purple bar rises midway across the graph. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone from just the white dwarf binary stars.\"
", "items": [ { "id": 526102, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206361, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONE_No_Exo_4x5_Stilljpg.jpg", "filename": "TONE_No_Exo_4x5_Stilljpg.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems produce a signal with a nearly continuous frequency. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background. A purple spiral emanates from the binary. A pure tone sounds, and a graph appears below the binary; a single purple bar rises midway across the graph. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone from just the white dwarf binary stars.\" ", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526103, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206362, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONE_No_Exo_4x5_V3.mp4", "filename": "TONE_No_Exo_4x5_V3.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems produce a signal with a nearly continuous frequency. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background. A purple spiral emanates from the binary. A pure tone sounds, and a graph appears below the binary; a single purple bar rises midway across the graph. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone from just the white dwarf binary stars.\" ", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526104, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206363, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONENoExo4x5.en_US.srt", "filename": "TONENoExo4x5.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems produce a signal with a nearly continuous frequency. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background. A purple spiral emanates from the binary. A pure tone sounds, and a graph appears below the binary; a single purple bar rises midway across the graph. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone from just the white dwarf binary stars.\" ", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 526105, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206364, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONENoExo4x5.en_US.vtt", "filename": "TONENoExo4x5.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems produce a signal with a nearly continuous frequency. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background. A purple spiral emanates from the binary. A pure tone sounds, and a graph appears below the binary; a single purple bar rises midway across the graph. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone from just the white dwarf binary stars.\" ", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 381172, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15117/#media_group_381172", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems become modified when an exoplanet is added. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing.
Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Description: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background; a planet orbits the stellar pair. A purple spiral emanates from the binary but has a different pattern due to the planet's presence. A tone with a ringing sound is heard, a graph appears below the binary. A single purple bar rises at the graph's center but is flanked by two smaller bars — evidence of the planet's presence. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone with an exoplanet added.\"
", "items": [ { "id": 526111, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206366, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONE_EXO_4x5_Still.jpg", "filename": "TONE_EXO_4x5_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems become modified when an exoplanet is added. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background; a planet orbits the stellar pair. A purple spiral emanates from the binary but has a different pattern due to the planet's presence. A tone with a ringing sound is heard, a graph appears below the binary. A single purple bar rises at the graph's center but is flanked by two smaller bars — evidence of the planet's presence. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone with an exoplanet added.\" ", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526112, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206367, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONE_EXO_4x5_V3.mp4", "filename": "TONE_EXO_4x5_V3.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems become modified when an exoplanet is added. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background; a planet orbits the stellar pair. A purple spiral emanates from the binary but has a different pattern due to the planet's presence. A tone with a ringing sound is heard, a graph appears below the binary. A single purple bar rises at the graph's center but is flanked by two smaller bars — evidence of the planet's presence. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone with an exoplanet added.\" ", "width": 1080, "height": 1350, "pixels": 1458000 } }, { "id": 526113, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206368, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONEEXO4x5.en_US.srt", "filename": "TONEEXO4x5.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems become modified when an exoplanet is added. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background; a planet orbits the stellar pair. A purple spiral emanates from the binary but has a different pattern due to the planet's presence. A tone with a ringing sound is heard, a graph appears below the binary. A single purple bar rises at the graph's center but is flanked by two smaller bars — evidence of the planet's presence. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone with an exoplanet added.\" ", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } }, { "id": 526114, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 1206369, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a015100/a015117/TONEEXO4x5.en_US.vtt", "filename": "TONEEXO4x5.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "The gravitational waves generated by double white dwarf systems become modified when an exoplanet is added. The tone heard here simulates what LISA might detect from such a system but has been moved into the range of human hearing. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterDescription: Orbiting white dwarf stars appear almost side-on against a starry background; a planet orbits the stellar pair. A purple spiral emanates from the binary but has a different pattern due to the planet's presence. A tone with a ringing sound is heard, a graph appears below the binary. A single purple bar rises at the graph's center but is flanked by two smaller bars — evidence of the planet's presence. The left axis is labeled \"Power,\" the bottom axis reads \"Frequency.\" Text reads \"Here's the tone with an exoplanet added.\" ", "label": "English", "language_code": "en-US" } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 381179, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/15117/#media_group_381179", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [NASA.gov](https://science.nasa.gov/uncategorized/gravitational-waves-can-reveal-new-worlds/)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "PAO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Noble", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Adriana Manrique Gutierrez", "employer": "eMITS" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Binary", "Exoplanet", "Gravitational Waves", "LISA", "Star", "Universe", "White dwarf" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 14698, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14698/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "NASA Reveals LISA Engineering Development Unit Telescope", "description": "NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves — ripples in space-time caused by merging black holes and other cosmic sources.The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission is led by ESA (European Space Agency) in partnership with NASA to detect gravitational waves by using lasers to measure precise distances — down to picometers, or trillionths of a meter — between a trio of spacecraft distributed in a vast configuration larger than the Sun. Each side of the triangular array will measure nearly 1.6 million miles, or 2.5 million kilometers.Twin telescopes aboard each spacecraft will both transmit and receive infrared laser beams to track their companions, and NASA is supplying all six of them to the LISA mission. The prototype, called the Engineering Development Unit Telescope, will provide guidance as engineers and scientists work toward building the flight hardware.In May, the prototype, which was manufactured and assembled by L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The primary mirror is coated in gold to better reflect the infrared lasers and to reduce heat loss from a surface exposed to cold space since the telescope will operate best when close to room temperature. The prototype is made entirely from an amber-colored glass-ceramic called Zerodur, manufactured by Schott in Mainz, Germany. The material is widely used for telescope mirrors and other applications requiring high precision because its shape changes very little over a wide range of temperatures. || ", "release_date": "2024-10-22T11:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2024-10-22T11:46:48-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1101332, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014600/a014698/GSFC_20240520_LISA_000535_searchweb.png", "filename": "GSFC_20240520_LISA_000535_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The prototype LISA telescope undergoes post-delivery inspection in a darkened NASA Goddard clean room on May 20. The entire telescope is made from an amber-colored glass-ceramic that resists changes in shape over a wide temperature range, and the mirror’s surface is coated in gold. Credit: NASA/Dennis HenryAlt text: A technician inspects a prototype LISA telescope.Image description: In a darkened clean room, a technician clad in white coveralls, hood, mask, and blue gloves inspects a prototype telescope set within a black frame. At center, the telescope’s translucent, tan-colored structure glows as the technician shines a flashlight behind it. Other suited people partially appear in the background at right, while at top and left ceiling lights from areas beyond the clean room can be seen through windows.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 30569, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30569/", "page_type": "Hyperwall Visual", "title": "Listening to the Universe with Gravitational Waves", "description": "First image in presentation. || 2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide_print.jpg (1024x574) [63.5 KB] || 2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide.png (4104x2304) [2.3 MB] || 2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide_searchweb.png (320x180) [28.0 KB] || 2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide_web.png (320x179) [28.0 KB] || 2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide_thm.png (80x40) [2.8 KB] || Dr. Ira Thorpe's AAS presentation from 2015 || ", "release_date": "2015-01-15T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2018-03-08T13:41:50-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 431091, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a030000/a030500/a030569/2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide_print.jpg", "filename": "2014_aas_ira_thorpe_01_title_slide_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "First image in presentation.", "width": 1024, "height": 574, "pixels": 587776 } }, { "id": 10140, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10140/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Merging Black Holes", "description": "A black hole is a massive object whose gravitational field is so intense that no light (electromagnetic radiation) can escape it. When two orbiting black holes merge, a massive amount of energy is released in the form of jets. Meanwhile, the movement of these massive bodies disturbs the fabric of space-time around them, sending ripples of gravitational waves radiating outward. These waves are predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, but have yet to be directly detected. || ", "release_date": "2007-07-03T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2015-12-01T09:05:09-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 508259, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010100/a010140/BlackHole2_0325.jpg", "filename": "BlackHole2_0325.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A closer look at the center of a spiral galaxy reveals a pair of black holes locked in a death spiral. When they merge, a massive amount of energy is released in the form of jets.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 10143, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10143/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Millisecond Pulsar with Gravitational Waves", "description": "A pulsar is generally believed to be a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits pulses of radiation (such as x-rays and radio waves) at known regular intervals. A millisecond pulsar is one with a rotational period in the range of 1-10 milliseconds. As the pulsar picks up speed through accretion, it distorts due to subtle changes in the crust. Such slight distortion is enough to produce gravitational waves. Material flowing onto the pulsar surface from its companion star tends to quicken the spin, but the loss of energy to gravitational waves tends to slow the spin. This competition between forces may reach an equilibrium, setting a natural speed limit for millisecond pulsars beyond which they cannot spin faster. || ", "release_date": "2007-07-03T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2015-12-01T09:04:18-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 508297, "url": "http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010100/a010143/PulsarWide065.jpg", "filename": "PulsarWide065.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation shows a wide shot of a millisecond pulsar.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }