A gravitational wave from a distance source stretches space by an infinitesimal amount, and to detect that rhythmic stretching LIGO employs two gigantic optical devices called interferometers, which essentially act as gigantic rulers. To test the
They have observed the warping of space-time generated by the collision of two black holes more than a billion light-years from Earth. The international team says the first detection of these gravitational waves will usher in a new era for astronomy
LIGO is described in a statement as "a system of two identical detectors" — one located in Livingston, Louisiana, the other in Hanford, Washington — "carefully constructed to detect incredibly tiny vibrations from passing gravitational waves." The
LIGO is described in a statement as "a system of two identical detectors" — one located in Livingston, Louisiana, the other in Hanford, Washington — "carefully constructed to detect incredibly tiny vibrations from passing gravitational waves." The
Gravitational waves were predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1916, and now, almost exactly 100 years later, the faint ripples across space-time have been found. The advanced Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory