First observation of gravitational waves
Hello there! So, do you know what is meant by waves? Just like you can see waves in water, there are also waves that you can’t see, like sound waves or light waves.
Scientists have thought for a long time that there are waves that come from really big things like planets, stars, and even black holes. These are called gravitational waves. But, these waves are really hard to detect because they’re so tiny.
In 2015, a team of scientists called LIGO found something fascinating. They realized that they had detected gravitational waves for the very first time! They did this by using machines that had really sensitive instruments called lasers.
When something really big, like two black holes orbiting around each other, gets close enough, their gravity forms waves. These waves cause the space around them to stretch and shrink a tiny bit. LIGO's machines were able to measure these little changes caused by gravitational waves.
This discovery is really important because it confirms what scientists have been thinking for a long time - that there are gravitational waves. It also helps us learn more about the universe and how it works.
Scientists have thought for a long time that there are waves that come from really big things like planets, stars, and even black holes. These are called gravitational waves. But, these waves are really hard to detect because they’re so tiny.
In 2015, a team of scientists called LIGO found something fascinating. They realized that they had detected gravitational waves for the very first time! They did this by using machines that had really sensitive instruments called lasers.
When something really big, like two black holes orbiting around each other, gets close enough, their gravity forms waves. These waves cause the space around them to stretch and shrink a tiny bit. LIGO's machines were able to measure these little changes caused by gravitational waves.
This discovery is really important because it confirms what scientists have been thinking for a long time - that there are gravitational waves. It also helps us learn more about the universe and how it works.
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