Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant ‘blackholes’ billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

A. ‘Higgs boson particles’ were detected.
B. Gravitational waves’ were detected.
C. Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through ‘wormhole’ was confirmed.
D. It enabled the scientists to understand ‘singularity’.

Submitted by: Abid Hussain

‘Gravitational waves’ were detected.

Billions of light-years away from the earth, two black holes have collided to create a larger one.
Gravitational waves are created when two black holes orbit each other and merge.
It has a mass more than 80 times that of the Sun.
The resulting energy released in the form gravitational waves as the two holes spiralled in towards each other.

About Gravitational Waves

• Gravitational waves are ‘ripples’ in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe.
• Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity.
• Einstein’s mathematics showed that massive accelerating objects (such as neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other) would disrupt space-time in such a way that ‘waves’ of undulating space-time would propagate in all directions away from the source.
• These cosmic ripples would travel at the speed of light, carrying with them information about their origins, as well as clues to the nature of gravity itself.
• The strongest gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events such as colliding black holes, supernovae (massive stars exploding at the end of their lifetimes), and colliding neutron stars.
• Other waves are predicted to be caused by the rotation of neutron stars that are not perfect spheres, and possibly even the remnants of gravitational radiation created by the Big Bang.