Gravitational Waves as Predicted by Albert Einstein Have Been Detected by the LIGO Laboratories

image via LIGO Laboraties

Gravitational waves as predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 have been detected by the LIGO observatories in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanaford, Washington for the first time. The detected waves were caused by two black holes merging into one larger black hole, as explained by LIGO Executive Director David Reitze during a press conference held on February 11, 2016, and in a separate video released by MIT.

The discovery was made possible by the kilometers-long lasers setup at the two LIGO sites, and it opens up the scientific world to a new realm of exploration into how the Universe works.

photos via LIGO Laboratories