BBC:
A team of astronomers led by JJ Hermes of the University of
Texas at Austin has determined that the decreasing orbital
period of a close pair of white dwarf stars is likely due to
gravity waves. As predicted by Einstein's general theory of
relativity, gravity waves are produced by the motion of massive
objects through spacetime, but they have yet to be directly
detected. The binary white dwarf system's unusually short
orbital period of only 13 minutes makes it a strong emitter of
gravitational radiation, causing it to lose momentum. Over the
30 months that the white dwarf binary was observed, its orbital
period lost 6 seconds; it is expected to lose another 20
seconds by next May.
