What would happen if a very strong gravitational wave passed through us?

Asked by: Thomas S Marcotte, USA

Gravitational waves spread out from any violent event involving matter – such as, say, the collision of two black holes. Like gravity, however, they’re incredibly weak, so you’d have to be extremely close to their source in order to feel their effects.

It would definitely feel weird, as they’d create a rhythmic stretching and squashing sensation on the body. But you’d have to be so close to the cataclysm itself that you’d never live to describe it.

Read more:

• How big could a black hole get?
• Can gravitational waves teach us about the inside of a black hole?