Episode 76 - When Black Holes Ring – Could Einstein Be Wrong?

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:23:10 GMT

For more than a century, Einstein's theory of general relativity has shaped our understanding of gravity, space and time. But is it the complete picture? Could gravitational waves from colliding black holes reveal something his famous equations cannot explain?

When two black holes collide, something extraordinary happens. The newly formed black hole begins to ring, almost like a bell. But instead of sound, it sends gravitational waves through spacetime, carrying clues about its mass, spin – and perhaps the limits of Einstein's theory.

In this episode of IDA Space Talks, we welcome Lorena Magaña Zertuche from the Centre of Gravity at the Niels Bohr Institute, where she studies gravitational waves and black hole mergers.

We explore how scientists detect incredibly tiny changes in spacetime, why supercomputers are needed to solve Einstein's equations, and how black holes can even be kicked out of their own galaxies.

We also discover gravitational wave memory – the remarkable idea that a passing gravitational wave can leave a permanent fingerprint on the universe.

So far, Einstein's theory has passed every test. But Lorena and her colleagues are searching for cracks.

What if black holes are trying to tell us something Einstein never knew?

Episode 65 - tyngdebølger - små kosmiske brag

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:24:24 GMT

Når to sorte huller støder sammen, bølger selve rumtiden

Denne episode med lyden af to sorte huller, der støder sammen – oversat til lyd, så menneskehjernen kan være med.

Men kan man egentlig høre universet, eller snyder vi os selv lidt, når vi trykker “play”? Hvorfor mente Einstein, at tyngdebølger godt nok fandtes, men nok aldrig ville kunne måles? Og hvordan måler man i praksis noget, der får afstande til at ændre sig mindre end bredden af et atom – uden at instrumentet selv begynder at vibrere af bare nervøsitet?

Tyngdebølger er ikke lyd, men bølger i selve rumtiden: mikroskopiske stræk og sammentrækninger skabt, når ekstremt tunge objekter – som sorte huller eller neutronstjerner – accelererer voldsomt.

Sammen med astrofysiker Peter Laursen fra Niels Bohr Instituttet dykker vi ned i magien bag Einsteins feltligninger, kosmiske sammenstød og de absurde målinger, der gjorde det muligt at “lytte” til universet.

For stilheden i rummet viser sig at være langt mere teknisk udfordrende – og langt mere spændende – end den har givet sig ud for.

Redigering og vært: Tino Tønnesen

Sound Effects from Pixabay

Ingeniørforeningen, IDA

Episode 76 - When Black Holes Ring – Could Einstein Be Wrong?

Episode 65 - tyngdebølger - små kosmiske brag