General relativity is a foundational theory within theoretical physics that describes gravity not as a force acting across distance, but rather as a manifestation of the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy. This framework posits that any object with mass or energy warps the geometry of the spacetime continuum, and objects subsequently move along the paths dictated by that curvature. The theory successfully accounts for phenomena such as the precession of planetary orbits, the bending of starlight near massive objects, and the existence of extreme gravitational regimes, including black holes. Furthermore, it predicted the existence of gravitational waves—ripples in the curvature of spacetime—which have been detected, confirming key aspects of this major scientific model.