Gravitational waves HIT Earth in record numbers from black holes

Gravitational waves have hit Earth in record numbers! In all of those 35 waves, some have emerged from merging black holes.

Gravitational waves: The recent discoveries are related mostly to black holes, and some related to neutron stars. (Photo courtesy: Nasa)

Gravitational waves have hit Earth and that too in record numbers! Scientists have discovered one of the largest batches of gravitational waves passing Earth, amounting to a total number of 35. Out of these, 32 of the gravitational ripples have emerged from merging black holes; the rest have likely merged from the collisions between a black hole and neutron star.  

Gravitational waves are simply invisible rippled of space-time distortion in the space. Discovered by Einstein almost a 100 years ago, these waves emerge when a massive event happens; massive in the sense as if two black holes colliding with each other, or supernova stars exploding. It is similar to tossing a pebble in a pond; you will see ripples travelling to the edges.

Gravitation waves from black holes pass Earth!

The recent discoveries are related mostly to black holes, and some related to neutron stars. It is said that some of these black hole pairs had a combined mass of 145 times higher than our humble Sun. Some of them came from a pair of black holes orbiting each other, which have a combined mass of 112 times more than the Sun. 

“It's fascinating that there is such a wide range of properties within this growing collection of black holes and neutron star pairs. Properties like the masses and spins of these pairs can tell us how they're forming, so seeing such a diverse mix raises interesting questions about where they came from,” study co-author and OzGrav PhD student Isobel Romero-Shaw said.

These discoveries can lead scientists to understand the black holes better – a topic which has still been surrounded in mystery. Nobody knows what a black hole hides within – all we know that the gravitational forces in a black hole is so great that even light cannot escape; hence the name black hole. The gravitational effects of black holes are so high that it bends space and time. 

Gravitational waves are detected by LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA observatories around the world. These labs are currently undergoing upgrades and will start another observation period in late 2022.