The first detection of gravitational waves, which scientists could announce on Thursday, would open a new window on the universe and its most violent phenomena. “This observation is truly incredible science and marks three milestones for physics: the direct detection of gravitational waves, the first detection of a binary black hole, and the most convincing evidence to date that nature’s black holes are the objects predicted by Einstein’s theory”.
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The gravitational waves were detected on September 14, 2015 by both of the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. “It would have been wonderful to watch Einstein’s face had we been able to tell him”. Researchers could detect exploding stars before any of their light reaches Earth, probe the secrets of black holes, and understand what happens when – and how often – dead stars violently collide.
Hebrew University’s Roni Gross holds the original historical documents related to Albert Einstein’s prediction of the existence of gravitational waves at the Hebrew university in Jerusalem, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. “We did it”, said California Institute of Technology physicist David Reitze, triggering applause at a packed news conference in Washington. With this discovery, the era of gravitational wave astronomy has begun.
The Observer reported a breakthrough in 1979, after scientists at the University of MA observed a pair of pulsars orbiting around one another.
Predicted by Albert Einstein in his famous Theory of General Relativity the tiny ripples in space-time offer a new way of exploring the universe. “But when we tell them we are absolutely sure the space around them everywhere is wiggling about because somewhere off in the universe a black hole has merged, I think that will send a pretty profound message to hopefully everyone about just how cool a place our universe is”.
“What’s really exciting is what comes next”, said Reitze at the announcement. It is also the first time astronomers have witnessed the merger of a black hole. He said the detection would allow scientists a new window into seeing and hearing cosmic events that otherwise might not be detected.
VIDEO: Watch the embedded YouTube video to see Gravitational wave astronomy explained by Martin Hendry, Professor of Gravitational Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Glasgow.
And now researchers say they have detected rumblings from that cataclysmic collision as ripples in the very fabric of space-time itself. “We’re getting a signal which arrives at Earth, and we can put it on a speaker, and we can hear these black holes go, ‘Whoop.’ There’s a very visceral connection to this observation”.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is hosting the live feed along with scientists from LIGO. “Up to now we’ve been deaf to them”.
“What’s going to come now is we’re going to hear more of these things”.
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The discovery, accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters, was made by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration using data from the two LIGO detectors.
