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

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Q: 47 (IAS/2019)
Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant ‘blackholes’ billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?

question_subject: 

Science

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,103,47,17,103,8,22

keywords: 

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The significance of this observation is that `gravitational waves` were detected. This observation was made by the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and Virgo Collaboration, and it was the first direct detection of gravitational waves caused by the merger of two black holes. The detection of gravitational waves confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein`s 1915 general theory of relativity and opened a new window on the universe.