Ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by cataclysmic events deep within our Galaxy may have been picked up on Earth. If the results are confirmed, it will give astronomers an entirely new way to look at the Universe. Einstein predicted the existence of ripples in space-time, or gravitational waves, in his general theory of relativity in 1915. The waves should pour out of hugely energetic events ― such as exploding stars ― at the speed of light and carry unique information on the events that produced them across vast stretches of space. Detecting them could help firm up our understanding of gravity and reveal astronomical oddities such as colliding black holes that might otherwise be completely undetectable. But so far the waves have eluded scientists.
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