Gravitational Waves Found! | CfA

A billion years ago, two black holes collided and merged, sending powerful ripples across the fabric of space-time. In 2015 those gravitational waves reached Earth and tickled the detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). This first-ever detection of gravitational waves confirmed a long-standing prediction of Einstein's general relativity. It also was the culmination of a decades-long effort. Learn about the technical challenges of LIGO and the significance of this momentous event from one of the field's great pioneers, Dr. Rainer Weiss.
Original music by Mark C. Petersen, Loch Ness Productions. Used with permission.
Animations used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.