Since the confirmation of the existence of gravitational waves in 2015, researchers around the world have continued to search for them. Using new technology, a team of researchers has now discovered gravitational waves stretching across several light-years.
190 astronomers from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) have been tracking radio waves from pulsar stars for 15 years using three ground-based radio telescopes to detect disturbances indicative of these enormous gravitational waves. The newly discovered gravitational waves are believed to have been created when supermassive black holes collided with each other, according to the researchers.
However, there is a possibility that the observed waves may have originated in other ways, such as during the creation of the universe in the so-called big bang. The discovery of these enormous gravitational waves is expected to help researchers gain a better understanding of supermassive black holes and provide insights into the frequency of galaxy collisions and mergers in the universe. The video above provides further discussion on the discovery of these super-long gravitational waves.
