Gravitational Waves detected for the first time

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35524440

http://www.iflscience.com/space/gravitational-waves-observed-first-time

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/feb/11/gravitational-waves-discovery-hailed-as-breakthrough-of-the-century

Pretty fascinating stuff to those interested; something I can add to my extended project!

Reply 1

vanillaboy

5

What I don't quite grasp is how Einstein could predict gravitational waves? How did he go about even coming up with the idea?

Reply 2

TheFarmerLad

OP

22

Original post by vanillaboy

What I don't quite grasp is how Einstein could predict gravitational waves? How did he go about even coming up with the idea?

Gravitational Waves were a consequence of his theory of General Relativity which couldn't be proven at the time

Reply 3

username1862217

15

This thread got so little attention. I feel like I have just lost a little bit more hope in humanity. This achievement is a massive technological and scientific feat... Recognise it people!!!!

Reply 4

IFoundWonderland

19

Original post by Keyhofi

This thread got so little attention. I feel like I have just lost a little bit more hope in humanity. This achievement is a massive technological and scientific feat... Recognise it people!!!!

Ikr.

Einstein didn't think humans would ever have the technological capacity to find them. Yet less than 100 years after his death, here we are.

Reply 5

Indeterminate

3

Fascinating! :biggrin:

What excites me is that we will be able to use this latest discovery to shed some more light on the nature of our universe :woo:

And Einstein was right, which is hardly surprising! :lol:

Reply 6

z33

21

Ummmm why the **** is this thread not trending until we die because
GUYS
...

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!
EINSTEIN WAS NOT CRAZY!

Reply 7

TheFarmerLad

OP

22

Original post by z33

Ummmm why the **** is this thread not trending until we die because
GUYS
...

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!
EINSTEIN WAS NOT CRAZY!

People are too busy trolling or taking selfies

Reply 8

z33

21

Original post by MathsAstronomy12

People are too busy trolling or taking selfies

but... but... but gravitational waves T_T
what if they're like light waves :O
what if theres gravitrons like photons :eek:

Reply 9

joey11223

20

Tbf I think a lot of the lack of comment is in all honesty people don't really understand what the discovery actually represents. I'll be frank, I don't. I can accept it's a massive discovery for the discipline, but what it really means, **** if I know. More obvious things make a bigger splash, if we found say signs of biological substances on Mars, that would be a worldwide story for ages, even if technically the discovery of these waves means more on a universal scale.

One thing I don't get it though, is the news was discussing the fact these waves are from something like a supernova going off billions of lightyears away and thus it's waves from an event billions of years ago.

So is that based on an assumption gravity waves travel at the speed of light? Is this confirmed at all, is it impossible for them to go faster, can they be slower etc? (I assume when you're near a black hole **** probably goes out the window rules wise)
,

Reply 10

krazy prince

Ok so most of you look confused on the concept, let me help you and suggest you this video to clarify what it is really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUGGCec79R4

Reply 11

boruto

2

Couple of questions:
- Does the existence of the gravitational wave also imply that gravitons exist?
- And if gravitons do exist due to this discovery, what is the purpose of LHC? Since we have effectively completed the Standard Model.

Reply 12

boruto

2

Original post by joey11223

Tbf I think a lot of the lack of comment is in all honesty people don't really understand what the discovery actually represents. I'll be frank, I don't. I can accept it's a massive discovery for the discipline, but what it really means, **** if I know. More obvious things make a bigger splash, if we found say signs of biological substances on Mars, that would be a worldwide story for ages, even if technically the discovery of these waves means more on a universal scale.

One thing I don't get it though, is the news was discussing the fact these waves are from something like a supernova going off billions of lightyears away and thus it's waves from an event billions of years ago.

So is that based on an assumption gravity waves travel at the speed of light? Is this confirmed at all, is it impossible for them to go faster, can they be slower etc? (I assume when you're near a black hole **** probably goes out the window rules wise)
,

Feel your pain bro. Tried explaining gravitational lensing and how black holes can bend light but even my mum (who went to Imperial) could not understand what I was saying and tbf did not give two shits about the implications of this discovery. I like to think as physics as a jewel to those who can understand it.

Reply 13

Profesh

20

Original post by krazy prince

Ok so most of you look confused on the concept, let me help you and suggest you this video to clarify what it is really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUGGCec79R4

Insightful as that was, building an audience from scratch is arguably challenging enough even when your narrator doesn't sound like an Indian grad student who's been abducted and forcibly repatriated to Newcastle, without needlessly compounding that difficulty.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 14

Pegasus2

16

I haven't read it yet tbh. I figured I'd read up on it when there were more completed articles about it available.

I did read about relativity off my own back before on things like space-time and how that as proven etc.

Although, I still think our understanding of these things and the models we use to explain them are still pretty simple.