Recently, Scientists observed the merger of giant blackholes’ billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2019 Prelims]
(a) ‘Higgs boson particles’ were detected.
(b) ‘Gravitational waves’ were detected.
(c) Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through ‘wormhole’ was confirmed.
(d) It enabled the scientists to understand ‘singularity’.
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
- Gravitational waves are ‘ripples’ in space-time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the Universe.
- Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity.
- Billions of light-years away from the earth, two black holes have collided to create a larger one.
- Gravitational waves are created when two black holes orbit each other and merge.
- It has a mass more than 80 times that of the Sun.
- The resulting energy released in the form gravitational waves as the two holes spiralled in towards each other.
