<p>A new data release more than doubles the number of gravitational-wave candidate events&mdash;and reveals unexpected complexities of merging black holes</p>
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as merging neutron stars or black holes. They provide a new way to observe the universe and can carry information about their origins and the nature of gravity.
Black hole mergers occur when two black holes orbit each other and eventually collide, resulting in the release of significant amounts of energy in the form of gravitational waves. These events are crucial for understanding the formation and evolution of black holes in the universe.