The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, better known as LIGO, was the first experiment ever to directly detect these ripples in space-time, so it's the first direct physical evidence that they actually exist..
Also asked, what is the purpose of LIGO?
Its purpose is to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a facility dedicated to the detection of cosmic gravitational waves and the measurement of these waves for scientific research.
Likewise, how accurate is LIGO? Most sensitive: At its most sensitive state, LIGO will be able to detect a change in distance between its mirrors 1/10,000th the width of a proton! This is equivalent to measuring the distance to the nearest star (some 4.2 light years away) to an accuracy smaller than the width of a human hair.
Regarding this, what is the importance of gravitational waves?
Binary systems made up of two massive objects orbiting each other are an important source for gravitational-wave astronomy. The system emits gravitational radiation as it orbits, these carry away energy and momentum, causing the orbit to shrink.
What has LIGO discovered?
The LIGO collaboration famously made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves, the ripples in space-time first predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago. Earlier this month, three of LIGO's founders won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics for that groundbreaking discovery, which came in September 2015.
Related Question Answers
How does LIGO work?
How LIGO Works. LIGO is the world's largest gravitational wave observatory. Sensitive detectors can tell if the length of the arms of a LIGO detector varies by as little as 1/10,000 the width of a proton, representing the incredibly small scale of the effects imparted by passing gravitational waves.Can we detect gravity?
How do we know that gravitational waves exist? In 2015, scientists detected gravitational waves for the very first time. They used a very sensitive instrument called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory). These first gravitational waves happened when two black holes crashed into one another.How many LIGO detectors are there?
Happily, GW150914 fulfilled that requirement, and we have now seen many signals which appeared in the two LIGO detectors and also in the Virgo detector.Where are the LIGO detectors located?
The two primary research centers are located at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The detector sites in Hanford and Livingston are home to the interferometers that make LIGO an "observatory".How big is LIGO?
With arms 4km (2.5 mi.) long, LIGO's interferometers are by far the largest ever built. (By contrast, the interferometer Michelson and Morley used in their famous experiment to study the "aether" had arms about 1.3m long).Who funds LIGO?
NSF
Is gravity a wave?
In Einstein's general theory of relativity, gravity is treated as a phenomenon resulting from the curvature of spacetime. These propagating phenomena are known as gravitational waves. As a gravitational wave passes an observer, that observer will find spacetime distorted by the effects of strain.Who invented LIGO?
Rainer Weiss
Can we create gravity waves?
Every massive object that accelerates produces gravitational waves. This includes humans, cars, airplanes etc., but the masses and accelerations of objects on Earth are far too small to make gravitational waves big enough to detect with our instruments.How do waves form?
Waves are created by energy passing through water, causing it to move in a circular motion. The ocean is never still. Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction between wind and surface water. As wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the continual disturbance creates a wave crest.How does gravity work?
The answer is gravity: an invisible force that pulls objects toward each other. Earth's gravity is what keeps you on the ground and what makes things fall. So, the closer objects are to each other, the stronger their gravitational pull is. Earth's gravity comes from all its mass.What does spacetime consist of?
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model which fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why different observers perceive where and when events occur differently.What are gravitational waves in simple language?
Gravitational waves occur when mass accelerates - distorting space like usual and sending ripples as it moves. For these waves to be noticable, they need to be created by very massive objects, like two super-heavy neutron stars rotating around each other, or a pair of black holes.Why is it called space time?
Space-time is a mathematical model that joins space and time into a single idea called a continuum. But in a relativistic universe, time cannot be separated from the three dimensions of space. This is because the observed rate at which time passes depends on an object's velocity relative to the observer.How do you explain gravitational waves?
“Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime. When objects move, the curvature of spacetime changes and these changes move outwards (like ripples on a pond) as gravitational waves. A gravitational wave is a stretch and squash of space and so can be found by measuring the change in length between two objects.”What is the scientific definition of a wave?
A wave is a physical phenomenon characterized by its frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. Electromagnetic waves, such as light, do not require a medium and can travel through a vacuum. Transverse waves, such as light, oscillate perpendicular to the direction the wave is carrying energy in - as in the diagram above.How do you measure gravitational waves?
LIGO seeks to measure gravitational waves directly LIGO will detect the ripples in space-time by using a device called a laser interferometer, in which the time it takes light to travel between suspended mirrors is measured with high precision using controlled laser light.Can LIGO detect supermassive black holes?
The telltale gravitational waves generated by merging supermassive black holes are outside the frequencies currently observable by experiments such as LIGO and Virgo, which have detected the mergers of much smaller black holes and neutron stars.Can you feel a gravitational wave?
We can hear gravitational waves, in the same sense that sound waves travel through water, or seismic waves move through the earth. The difference is that sound waves vibrate through a medium, like water or soil. For gravitational waves, spacetime is the medium. It just takes the right instrument to hear them. 
