On 11 February 2016, a team of astronomers from LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) announced that they recorded gravitational waves for the first time. These ripples in spacetime caused by a violent release of energy were predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, but scientists had not found evidence of their existence so far.
These gravitational waves were produced a billion light-years away by the merger of two black holes, a phenomenon that several research teams are investigating in Strasbourg. This breakthrough discovery opens new areas of exploration in astronomy and was greeted with enthusiasm at the Astronomical Observatory of Strasbourg.
