the measurements made of the orbital decay of the psr b1913+16 system were a near perfect match to einstein's equations. relativity predicts that over time a binary system's orbital energy will be converted to gravitational radiation. data collected by taylor and joel m. weisberg and their colleagues of the orbital period of psr b1913+16 supported this relativistic prediction; they reported in 1982 and subsequently that there was a difference in the observed minimum separation of the two pulsars compared to that expected if the orbital separation had remained constant. in the decade following its discovery the system's orbital period had decreased by about 76 millionths of a second per year - this means that the pulsar was approaching its maximum separation more than a second earlier than it would have if the orbit had remained the same. subsequent observations continue to show this decrease.