What binary star is producing gravity waves?
You might be referring to the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar.
The Hulse-Taylor Binary Pulsar has the following basic orbital elements:
Distance.........................................5 kiloparsecs
Orbital Velocity..................... 300 kilometers per second
Total mass ( M1+M2 )............ 2.8278 solar masses
Periastron Advance................. 4.2261 degrees per year
Orbital Period.......................... 27906.98161 seconds
Eccentricity............................ 0.617139
Pulse Period............................. 0.05902999527 seconds
Pulse Period change............. 0.000000000000000008628 seconds per second
The periastron advance should be compared to that of Mercury which is 42 arcseconds per century! The orbital eccentricity and period of the system imply a binary system which is emitting gravitational radiation. The increase in the orbital period that has been detected over the last 10 years is exactly the amount predicted by Einstein's general relativity as a result of the loss of energy due to gravitational radiation. This system is the widely acknowledged as the proof that gravitational radiation exists in nature, and serves as yet another test of Einstein's theory, upon which Big Bang cosmology and the existence of Black Holes now rests.
Return to Dr. Odenwald's Gravity
page at the Astronomy Cafe Blog.