Far out cosmology: Einstein right again (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, October 13, 2022, 00:43 (554 days ago) @ David Turell

Joining of two black holes provide this proof:

https://www.livescience.com/black-hole-merger-precession-einstein?utm_campaign=368B3745...

"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.

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"The spinning black hole was twisting and turning 10 billion times faster than any previously observed black hole, which distorted space and time so much that it caused both black holes to wobble — or precess — in their orbits.

"Researchers have observed precession in everything from spindle tops to dying star systems, but never in objects as enormous as binary black hole systems, in which the two cosmic vacuum cleaners orbit around a common center. However, Einstein's theory of general relativity predicted more than 100 years ago that precession should occur in objects as large as binary black holes. Now, the study authors say, this rare phenomenon has been observed in nature for the first time.

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"This new research in Nature suggests that the two black holes had a chaotic relationship before their violent merger. As the two gargantuan objects tugged at each other in an ever-closer orbit, they began to wobble like tipsy tops, precessing several times every second. According to the study authors, this precessing effect is estimated to be 10 billion times faster than any other ever measured.

"These findings vindicate Einstein, who predicted that such effects were possible in some of the universe's largets objects. But the results also raise the question as to whether wibbly wobbly black hole mergers like this one are as rare as once thought."

Comment: Einstein is always right.