Observation of the Second Gravitational Wave from the Collision of Two Black Holes

A group of international scientists announced that they have successfully detected and observed "gravitational waves" for the second time. These waves were predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago in his theory of relativity. A gravitational wave is produced by gravitational fields, and Einstein predicted its existence in 1916 as part of his theory of "general relativity." General relativity is a set of mathematical equations that describe the phenomena of space-time and gravity, which until then were explained using Newtonian mechanics or "force". The relativity hypothesis states that a mass with very high density, like the sun, can change the shape of light around it and bend its path. According to general relativity, mass can curve space-time, thereby creating a gravitational field that can deflect light. The gravitational waves generated by this gravitational field spread throughout the universe. Although this theory had been theoretically proven, scientists had no practical means to observe it. To see these gravitational waves, two very massive bodies must move at high speeds. Researchers had predicted that if two black holes collided, it would be possible to generate and observe such waves, but no one knew how often this might happen. Scientists built two devices to observe these waves. These detectors, called LIGO, are located in the states of Washington and Louisiana in the USA. Each of these devices includes an L-shaped tunnel nearly five kilometers long and was constructed in 1999. However, they first succeeded in detecting these waves in 2015, and the news was announced for the first time in early 2016. The detection of the first gravitational waves last winter was considered a milestone in the discoveries of physics and astronomy, representing decades of scientists' efforts. On Wednesday, June 16, researchers announced that they had successfully detected these waves for the second time, which originated from the merger of two black holes 1.4 billion years ago. Sheila Rowan, a member of the wave discovery team, stated, "From this second observation, we learned that the findings made by the LIGO machine allow us to answer some key questions regarding gravity and astronomy. Some of the mysteries we need to address include how black hole systems actually form. In the future, we will try to answer these questions by studying the history of the universe." Albert Lazarini from the California Polytechnic Institute said that the LIGO machines allow us to study some of the "darkest" yet most fascinating phenomena in the universe. This method enables scientists to observe new worlds that are not accessible through conventional experimental methods; worlds like black holes that consume both light and matter.