What is important about gravitational waves? Detecting and analyzing the information carried by gravitational waves is allowing us to observe the Universe in a way never before possible, providing astronomers and other scientists with their first glimpses of literally un-seeable wonders....
How does LIGO work? Gravitational waves cause space itself to stretch in one direction and simultaneously compress in a perpendicular direction. In LIGO, this causes one arm of the interferometer to get longer while the other gets shorter, then vice versa,...
How do large elliptical galaxies form quizlet? -Large elliptical galaxies are formed by mergers. -Collisions between galaxies trigger star formation. -There is evidence that galaxies evolve by collisions and mergers. How elliptical galaxies are formed? When two spirals collide, they lose...
What happens when gravitational waves hit Earth? As a result, time and space itself are stretched causing a slight wobble. But if we were closer to this violent event and the waves were much bigger, this impact could potentially tear our...
What was the source of the first gravitational wave detected by LIGO? The waveform, detected by both LIGO observatories, matched the predictions of general relativity for a gravitational wave emanating from the inward spiral and merger of a pair of black...
What are the 4 main classifications of galaxies? The smallest of galaxies contain a “mere” few hundred million stars while the largest galaxies contain up to one hundred trillion stars! Scientists have been able to segment galaxies into 4 main types:...
Why do neutron stars emit X-rays? The magnetic field of the neutron star can funnel the matter toward the magnetic poles, so that the energy release is concentrated in a column, or spot of hot matter. As the neutron star rotates,...
What does LIGO mean? LIGO stands for “Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory”. It is the world’s largest gravitational wave observatory and a marvel of precision engineering. Is there LIGO in India? LIGO-India is a collaboration between the LIGO Laboratory (operated by Caltech...
What is the cause of gravitational waves? Gravitational waves are ripples in space-time (the fabled “fabric” of the Universe) caused by massive objects moving with extreme accelerations. In outer space that means objects like neutron stars or black holes orbiting around...
How did Einstein prove gravitational waves? Einstein’s mathematics showed that massive accelerating objects (such as neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other) would disrupt space-time in such a way that ‘waves’ of undulating space-time would propagate in all directions away...