bIGgest discovery of the century

steddyeddy · 11-02-2016 04:52PM #1

100 years after Einstein's theory of general relativity predicted gravitational waves scientists at LIGO detected the elusive waves. This is the biggest discovery of the century and another reason why Einstein was great. It's a great time to be a scientist.

Link from the Guardian as the discovery is announced live!

super_furry · 11-02-2016 04:53PM

Been following it and trying to get my head around the whole concept - it's fascinating even to a layman like me.

Harry Palmr · 11-02-2016 04:55PM

Yeah but what's in it for me?

I'm watching the BBC news coverage and I have no idea why this is a such big thing. Being able to see the universe in an earlier state is of little interest really.

Harry Palmr · 11-02-2016 04:55PM

Any chance this breakthrough could end double posting? :mad:

Lights On · 11-02-2016 04:57PM

Still doesn't trump those Dairy Milk bars with Oreos in them that came out last year!

MonkeyTennis · 11-02-2016 04:59PM

and they were discovered where?

SEPT 23 1989 · 11-02-2016 05:05PM

MonkeyTennis wrote: »

and they were discovered where?

as always it was in the last place they looked

Doylers · 11-02-2016 05:08PM

10er says america try to weaponise it

valoren · 11-02-2016 05:08PM

That the human mind is capable if inferring through mathematics the existence of an aspect of nature is a wonderful thing and should rightly be celebrated.

I can just imagine the headline in the red tops.

"AL WAS RIGHT, BOFFINS CONFIRM"

darkpagandeath · 11-02-2016 05:12PM

Thought it would take longer, As the thing was stupidly sensitive and false alarmed all the time. Wonder if we will be hearing from the Dark matter/Energy detector anytime soon ?

aziz · 11-02-2016 05:15PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

as always it was in the last place they looked

I told them to try down the back of the sofa first:)

GLaDOS · 11-02-2016 05:17PM

Genuinely amazing, credit to the work of the team involved.

Polo_Mint · 11-02-2016 05:23PM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Yeah but what's in it for me?

I'm watching the BBC news coverage and I have no idea why this is a such big thing. Being able to see the universe in an earlier state is of little interest really.

I thought that's how all Liverpool fans viewed the Universe

Its pretty amazing in fairness

I wonder how fast you could go surfing a gravitational wave?

The_Valeyard · 11-02-2016 05:30PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

as always it was in the last place they looked

depends on what way you view the space time continuum

darkpagandeath · 11-02-2016 05:40PM

The_Valeyard wrote: »

depends on what way you view the space time continuum

Depends if you are Doctor who or Doc brown. :pac:

Mint Aero · 11-02-2016 05:42PM

My penis

mad muffin · 11-02-2016 05:42PM

So are we one step close to the warp drive and first contact with the Vulcans?

The_Valeyard · 11-02-2016 05:48PM

mad muffin wrote: »

So are we one step close to the warp drive and first contact with the Vulcans?

And a close call with the Borg.

kneemos · 11-02-2016 05:51PM

Surfs up.

warpdrive · 11-02-2016 05:51PM

Lights On wrote: »

Still doesn't trump those Dairy Milk bars with Oreos in them that came out last year!

Milka Oreo bars do

darkpagandeath · 11-02-2016 05:52PM

mad muffin wrote: »

So are we one step close to the warp drive and first contact with the Vulcans?

Well there are theory's. We have actually transported was it an electron through the quantum entanglement principle on a side not.

Liam McPoyle · 11-02-2016 05:53PM

NEEEEEEERRRRRDDDDDDD!

The_Valeyard · 11-02-2016 06:02PM

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Depends if you are Doctor who or Doc brown. :pac:

Or Doc Brown is a future Doctor/Valeyard/Master using a fog pocket watch to conceal their true identity and memories.

strelok · 11-02-2016 06:03PM

The_Valeyard wrote: »

And a close call with the Borg.

sexy deanna troi though

Calibos · 11-02-2016 06:07PM

As long as this means I'll see hover boards and antigravity cars within my lifetime I'm happy.

KomradeBishop · 11-02-2016 07:04PM

What's most incredible about this, is that it's a detection of two black holes merging (from ~1.3 billion light years away, a huge distance) - and that they can even tell the original mass of the black holes and everything - and have modelled the merger of black holes so accurately on supercomputers in the past, that they can see the gravitational waves match the expected pattern, of the final/merged black hole settling into its final form - so this is peering into the physics, of merging black holes.

The two black holes were ~36 and ~29 times the mass of the sun, and the energy given off by the gravitational waves was ~3 times the mass of the suns total energy - which is the most energetic thing that has ever been recorded, way bigger than any supernova explosion.

Junkyard Tom · 11-02-2016 07:28PM

[Pendant]The Century is only 16 years old. You can't be saying it's the greatest discovery until 2100.[/Pedant]

kneemos · 11-02-2016 07:58PM

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

[Pendant]The Century is only 16 years old. You can't be saying it's the greatest discovery until 2100.[/Pedant]

Hardly a big discovery if Einstein was on about it a hundred years ago.

steddyeddy · 11-02-2016 08:14PM

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

[Pendant]The Century is only 16 years old. You can't be saying it's the greatest discovery until 2100.[/Pedant]

Well a century is defined as a period of 100 years. I think it is the most amazing discovery of the last 100 years.

Call Me Jimmy · 11-02-2016 08:17PM

So... are we bending time yet?

tayto lover · 11-02-2016 08:22PM

What's in it for us?

bIGgest discovery of the century

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