What If a Massive Gravitational Wave Hit Earth?
1.3 billion years ago, two orbiting massive black holes, circling each other at 250 times a second, collided in a violent, universe-rippling explosion that sent waves of energy throughout the cosmos. In its wake, a new supermassive black hole formed over 60 times bigger than our Sun. Fast forward to September 2015, gravitational waves from this ancient cosmic event finally struck Earth. Luckily, the gravitational waves weakened over such a great distance. But what if we weren’t so lucky? If a couple of black holes in our solar system collided, could we survive? What would happen to Earth if we got hit by massive gravitational waves? What causes these waves? How can we detect them?
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