Discover how gravitational waves are helping to unlock mysteries of the universe in this can’t-miss lecture from Professor Alex Filippenko. Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts the existence of ripples in the fabric of space-time. In the past five years, such gravitational waves have been detected from dozens of pairs of merging black holes, an incredible technical feat requiring the most precise measurements ever made. And in August 2017, astrophysicists detected a merging pair of neutron stars with both gravitational waves and light. This cosmic collision produced a gamma-ray burst, gold and other precious metals, and probably a black hole.