Introduction to general relativity in a setting with comparatively strong gravitational fields. This has become possible thanks to precision observations of binary pulsars. In such a star system, two highly compact neutron stars orbit each other. At least one of them is a pulsar – an astronomical object that emits a tight beam of radiowaves. These beams strike the Earth at very regular intervals, similarly to the way that the rotating beam of a lighthouse means that an observer sees the lighthouse blink, and can be observed as a highly regular series of pulses. General relativity predicts specific deviations from the regularity of these
A Beam of Sun to Shake the Sky A Beam of Sun to Shake the Sky A Beam of Sun to Shake the Sky is a public art work by American artist Richard Taylor, located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sculpture was created for the Central Milwaukee Public Library as part of the remodeling of the Wells Street entrance. "A Beam of Sun to Shake the Sky" consists of two vertically oriented sculptures set upon massive granite pedestals in front of the library's glass facade. The sculptures appear made of bright red ribbon-like strips of painted aluminum that snake skyward. The individual strips each contain cut-out letters in