Researchers studying the aftermath of a gargantuan black hole collision may have confirmed a gravitational phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago.
According to new research published today (Oct. 12) in the journal Nature (opens in new tab), the phenomenon — which is known as precession and is similar to the wobbling motion sometimes seen in a spinning top — occurred when two ancient black holes crashed together and merged into one. As the two massive objects swirled closer together, they released enormous ripples through the fabric of space-time known as gravitational waves, which surged outward across the cosmos, carrying energy and angular momentum away from the merging black holes.
Scientists first detected these waves emanating from the black holes in 2020, using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the U.S. and Virgo gravitational wave sensors in Italy. Now, after years of studying the wave patterns, researchers have confirmed that one of the black holes was rotating madly, to a degree never seen before.
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