Two detections of gravitational waves, separated by a mere 21 minutes, set off a flurry of excitement among astronomers today.
Was it a binary black-hole merger? A double observation of a single black-hole merger, created by gravitational lensing effects? A glitch affecting the analytical systems at the world’s gravitational-wave detectors? Or merely a coincidence of cosmic proportions?
“This is a genuine ‘Uh, wait, what?’ We’ve never seen that before…….’ moment in gravitational wave astronomy,” Robert Rutledge, a physicist at McGill University, tweeted today. “If you’d like to see how double-checks and confirmations and conclusions occur – pay attention, in real time. Happening now.”
