Nature 277, 437 - 440 (08 February 1979); doi:10.1038/277437a0

Measurements of general relativistic effects in the binary pulsar PSR1913 + 16

J. H. Taylor, L. A. Fowler & P. M. McCulloch^*

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
^*Permanent address: Physics Department, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.

Measurements of second- and third-order relativistic effects in the orbit of binary pulsar PSR1913 + 16 have yielded self-consistent estimates of the masses of the pulsar and its companion, quantitative confirmation of the existence of gravitational radiation at the level predicted by general relativity, and detection of geodetic precession of the pulsar spin axis.

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