U Of I Researchers Behind New Discovery Of Second Black Hole In Universe
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCCU) —
A new space discovery was made in collaboration with experts at the University of Illinois.
Experts say this breakthrough solidifies a key point in Einstein's general theory of relativity, which he created back in 1915.
Now the team of several thousands of people has confirmed the existence of black holes in the universe.
They announced an interferometer they call "LIGO" recently detected gravitational waves emitted from a black hole about 1.4 billion light years away.
This detection comes after two black holes merged, which created gravitational waves strong enough to travel through space and reach Earth.
Dr. Stuart Shapiro, a professor and theorist from the University of Illinois, said the discovery is everything he has been working for since he first heard of Einstein's theory as a student.
"This is confirmation of a life of work in this field," he said. "And I think all of us [are] very excited that this has come about. I am one of them."
This discovery, made in December of 2015, is the second binary black hole found in the universe. A pair of binary black hole gravitational waves reached Earth in September of 2015.
Dr. Shapiro said this second discovery only further confirms Einstein's predictions of general relativity, and confirms the facts they found in their first discovery.
He said this has truly opened up a new window to the universe, with one huge leap forward in understanding the building blocks of our universe.
Next year, the teams hope to finish another consortium they are calling "VIRGO."
This super-computing will pinpoint a more accurate location of where the black holes are in the universe.