After decades of searching, scientists Thursday announced they have directly detected gravitational waves for the first time, caused by a cosmic clash of black holes so violent that its shock waves rippled the ethereal fabric of space and time across a billion light years of distance.
Confirming rumors roiling the scientific world for months, the scientists said their find verifies an unproven portion of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity and, because the waves are largely unimpeded by matter, offers a new way for astronomers to probe hidden recesses of the universe.
Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916.
“It is one of the most spectacular verifications of Einstein’s theory,” said Columbia University astrophysicist Zoltan Haiman, who wasn’t involved in the research effort.