Researchers detect gravitational waves from colliding black holes
On August 14, the after-effects of an extreme cosmic blast rippled through you, me, and everyone we know.
But you didn't feel it.
Prime Day deals you can shop right now
Products available for purchase here through affiliate links are selected by our merchandising team. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.iRobot Roomba Combo i3+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum and Mop—$329.99(List Price $599.99)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet—$169.99(List Price $219.99)
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case—$189.99(List Price $249.00)
Eero 6 Dual-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (Router + 2 Extenders)—$149.99(List Price $199.99)
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Midnight, S/M, Sports Band)—$299.00(List Price $399.00)
The only instruments on Earth that knew the fabric of space and time was stretching around and through us were located in Washington, Louisiana, and Italy. On Wednesday, we learned what they saw, and, in fact, heard.
SEE ALSO:This is one of the best gravitational waves explainers we've seenThe Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the U.S. and the Virgo Observatory in Italy detected the ripples in space and time created by two huge black holes -- at 31 and 25 times the mass of the sun -- crashing into each other at a distance of 1.8 billion light-years away.
This is the fourth time humans have observed those ripples -- called gravitational waves -- and the first time three detectors on two continents have been used to catch sight of them.
Having Virgo up and running is a real boon in the hunt for gravitational waves, since it helps validate results from the U.S.-based network.
"...Virgo is allowing us to localize the origin of our gravitational waves to a much higher accuracy than could be possible with only two detectors," said Laura Cadonati, deputy spokesperson for LIGO, via email.
"A smaller search area enables follow-up observations with telescopes and satellites for cosmic events that produce gravitational waves and emissions of light, such as the collision of neutron stars," Cadonati said.
If all three detectors see a signal, it bolsters the idea that the signal is real because LIGO and Virgo use somewhat different technology, Cadonati said.
Think of our universe as a sheet on a bed. If you put objects onto that bed, they will warp and dimple the sheet in different ways, depending on how massive they are.
If two of those objects -- like the huge black holes that created this signal -- were to spin around each other, that sheet would move, sending ripples outward.
LIGO and Virgo detected those faint ripples in the fabric of our universe.
If you convert the signal from the gravitational waves into sound, it actually resembles a chirp, going from a lower frequency to a high frequency right at the end. This of course, led some delightful scientists to "chirp" for LIGO on video ahead of the first announcement in 2016.
Via GiphyWhile this detection may not be quite as exciting as the first time gravitational waves were announced in February 2016, it's a great example of how iterative science is.
With every gravitational wave observation, we get ever so slightly closer to figuring out exactly how black holes work and what we can learn about all the weird objects in our universe.
“This is just the beginning of observations with the network enabled by Virgo and LIGO working together,” said David Shoemaker, the spokesman for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, in a statement.
Shoemaker said to expect a ramp-up in the rate of detections of gravitational waves beginning with the next observing run in the fall of 2018. “We can expect such detections weekly or even more often,” he said.
When the first detection was announced, scientists ushered in a new era of astrophysics. Today's announcement is further evidence that the field is shifting.
The new discovery will be detailed in the journal Physical Review Letters,but you can read it now online.
Featured Video For You
Meet the female astronaut making record-breaking space history
- ·Norris stuns Verstappen at Dutch GP
- ·汉源县新堰社区入围2019四川特色村
- ·娲嬫捣椴滆蛋杩涢潚宀涘甯哥櫨濮撳 鐩告瘮鏈湴璐т笉绠楄吹
- ·“养老+金融”助力老有所养
- ·This shark lives for centuries. Scientists discover how it resists aging.
- ·境外旅客在青岛市购物将享受离境退税政策
- ·境外旅客在青岛市购物将享受离境退税政策
- ·海尔燃气灶9项技术向用户讲述了100%的安全标准
- ·What to expect when a tech bubble bursts
- ·20万斤春鲅鱼上市 20元快递公司当天送到家里
- ·交通银行青岛分行:坚持服务提升无止境
- ·金凤山公园二期计划今年国庆假期开放
- ·CeeDee Lamb secures record
- ·青岛一季度存款同比增12.7% 金融业增加值135亿
- ·切实做好高层住宅安置小区消防安全管理和整治工作
- ·每个孩子都有属于自己的一片天空
- ·Google is bringing AI summaries to ‘Files’ so you can find your docs quicker
- ·青岛首家物联网监管仓库正式启用
- ·青岛:WENĒE发布会“优雅”来袭 重写时尚定义
- ·葡萄香满园 果农笑开颜
- ·The Wonderful World of Christmas Trees
- ·居然之家第253家店入驻雅安 开启雅安家居行业新篇章
- ·眼见为实 透过4台透明洗衣机看海尔的健康洗护
- ·海尔首创行业“全智能”洗衣机上海发布
- ·Coach jailed for sexual exploitation of underage athlete
- ·海尔防干烧燃气灶4项拆机对比挑战品质极限
- ·Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: The Fenix wins big on battery life
- ·招商银行关于山东地区分行 系统升级的公告
- ·认捐100棵树!白云山云台花园“园长”为绿美广东代言
- ·雨城区:北外环已恢复通车
- ·Which is Faster for Gaming, Windows 10 or Windows 11?
- ·广垦畜牧刘世坤:围绕种业发展的主题,广垦与广东养猪产业大会共发展
- ·全国只有青岛人最认鲅鱼 五一前后价格能差30元
- ·为孩子们搭建表现才能的舞台
- ·Best smart home deals this week at Amazon
- ·交通银行青岛分行社会招贤网点建设与工程管理