Physicists pinpoint source of gravitational waves to Pontiac Michigan, 1987
This week’s landmark announcement of the detection of gravitational waves — ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein — was followed today by shocking confirmation that the waves emanated from a cataclysmic collision 29 years ago in Pontiac, MI.
Researchers from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) revealed today that the gravitational wave they detected resulted from “an irresistible force meeting an immovable object” inside a “dome-like structure” in 1987.
“In late-March of that year, it seems a colossal mass was slammed to the ground by a powerful star,” explained astrophysicist Kip Thorne.
“The resulting gravitational waves were partly absorbed by their surroundings — 93,173 bodies, by my calculations — before rippling outward into the universe.”
The discovery of gravitational waves makes possible a new wave of astrophysics, and could allow scientists to better understand the origins, evolution, and ultimate fate of the WWE Universe.