Endless Facts, One Snippet at a Time
Gravitational Waves: Ripples in the Fabric of Spacetime
- Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein in 1916.
- They form when massive objects like black holes or neutron stars accelerate violently.
- These waves stretch and squeeze space itself as they pass through.
- LIGO first detected gravitational waves in 2015, confirming Einstein’s century-old prediction.
- The detection came from two black holes merging over a billion light-years away.
- Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light, carrying pure information about cosmic events.
- Unlike light, they pass through matter almost undisturbed, giving us a new way to see the universe.
- Each detection opens a “cosmic soundtrack” of cataclysmic collisions.
- Gravitational wave astronomy lets scientists study events invisible to telescopes.
- These ripples prove spacetime is dynamic, not rigid, echoing the universe’s most extreme moments.