Two black holes spiral inward, losing orbital energy to gravitational radiation. As they close in, their orbital (and gravitational-wave) frequency rises — the famous "chirp" LIGO detects — while the emitted wave ripples spacetime itself, shown here as a warped grid.
f_GW ≈ 2 × f_orbital
f_orbital ∝ 1 / separation^(3/2) (Kepler-like scaling)
strain h ∝ 1 / observer_distance
- Mass ratio q — relative mass of the smaller black hole; more equal masses (q→1) radiate more strongly.
- Inspiral speed — how fast the simulated separation shrinks toward merger (compressed for visualization; real inspirals take far longer).
- Observer distance — scales the visible spacetime-grid ripple amplitude, mirroring how strain falls off with distance.
- Play/Pause, Reset — control and restart the inspiral-to-merger sequence.
Real use: LIGO/Virgo detect exactly this rising-frequency, rising-amplitude "chirp" signal from real binary black hole and neutron star mergers, confirming Einstein's prediction of gravitational waves.