Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

This UPSC question item explicitly contrasts two outcomes: detection of 'Higgs boson particles' versus detection of 'gravitational waves' as the significance of a distant black-hole merger.

A student could use this contrast to suspect the merger observation most likely produced gravitational-wave signals rather than particle detections and then check how each is normally observed.

States that LIGO physically sensed spacetime distortions (gravitational waves) from colliding black holes about 1.3 billion light‑years away.

A student can extend this by noting that instruments and signals for gravitational waves are specific (interferometers sensing spacetime ripples) and so different from methods that detect elementary particles.

Explains the nature of gravitational waves (ripples in spacetime produced by accelerating massive objects like orbiting black holes).

Use the definition to infer that detected signals from a merger are spacetime ripples carrying information about the merger, not necessarily evidence of produced/observed subatomic particles like the Higgs.

Describes black holes and their violent interactions (distorting space and accreting matter), giving context for why mergers produce strong gravitational effects.

Combine this with knowledge that such violent spacetime dynamics produce waves (not particle signatures) to argue mergers are expected to yield gravitational-wave observations rather than direct detection of specific particle types.

Defines singularity and references general relativity as the theoretical framework predicting black holes and their extreme gravity.

A student can extend this by noting that general relativity predicts gravitational-wave phenomena around mergers, implying the primary observational signature will be gravitational (not particle) in nature.