LIGO Discovers Gravitational Waves
44The Universe is speaking and now we are listening! Adler Astronomer, Dr. Shane L. Larson, is a member of an international scientific team that was the first to definitively detect a gravitational wave: a ripple in the fabric of spacetime first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916.
This “signal” from space was detected on September 14, 2015 by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States. The LIGO collaboration calls this event "GW150914." It is the first direct observation of gravitational waves, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein 100 years ago, but unobserved until this momentous discovery. This is a way of seeing the Universe with gravity rather than light, which is a completely NEW way of understanding what is going on in the Universe around us.
In addition to gravitational waves, the detection of black holes is also significant. A black hole’s gravity is so strong, not even light can escape it. But black holes do radiate gravitational waves, which are produced by accelerating masses. These gravitational waves were detected when two black holes in orbit around each other, moving at half the speed of light, eventually collided and merged to form a new, bigger black hole. This new spinning black hole is 62 times more massive than the Sun.
The Adler Planetarium is the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere! Located on Chicago’s lakeshore, the museum typically hosts more than half a million visitors each year and reaches millions more through youth STEAM programs, neighborhood skywatching events, people-powered research, and other outreach efforts. Today, the Adler is bringing our unique approach—scientific exploration rooted in community and connection—to guests from around the world who can enjoy the digital Adler from their own homes, libraries, schools or offices.
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