How LIGO hears gravitational waves

Process map by Brian. 15 steps, 2 layers. Tags: space, science, physics.

1. Two black holes: Two black holes spiral toward each other
2. Spacetime: They ripple spacetime with gravitational waves
3. Spacetime: The waves travel for over a billion years
4. LIGO detectors: They reach Earth and stretch one detector arm by less than a proton's width
5. LIGO detectors: Laser beams in two perpendicular arms get out of step
6. LIGO detectors: Do both detectors, thousands of kilometers apart, see it?
7. The scientists: Rule out noise and test the signal
8. The scientists: Match it to simulations of merging black holes
9. The world: Announce it. The first detection was in September 2015, and announced in 2016
10. The scientists: Probably a local disturbance: a truck, a quake

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