Summary:
- The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) was established in 1992 and began its first observations in 2002. It is a large-scale physics experiment designed to detect gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
- In 2015, LIGO made the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves, which was a major scientific breakthrough. This discovery confirmed the existence of black holes and provided a new way to study the universe.
- Since its initial detection, LIGO has gone on to detect numerous other gravitational wave events, including the merger of neutron stars, which has allowed scientists to learn more about the nature of these extreme cosmic phenomena and the evolution of the universe.