Some astronomers believe they have discovered the metaphysical ripples in the fabric of space-time that were spawned 10-37 seconds after the Big Bang. Apparently, Albert Einstein predicted the ripples, called gravitational waves, and the discovery, if confirmed, might transform our understanding of how the universe began and evolved. The gravitational waves propagate through the cosmic ocean at the speed of light; astronomers have been searching diligently, because the waves are the evidential ‘missing link’ that is necessary proof for two major theories.
My layman’s understanding (to be taken with a grain of salt) of Einstein’s general theory of relativity posits that space is like a malleable blanket embedded with stars and planets, which cause the fabric of space to curve. These curvatures in space ripple like water; the gravitational waves squeeze and stretch space in various directions.
A theory developed in the 1980s, cosmic inflation, also requires the discovery of gravitational waves to cement its reputation. Cosmic inflation theorizes that, an instant after the Big Bang, the universe expanded exponentially — by a trillion, trillion times — thereby forming a uniform cosmos in large portions of space, but also causing variations in gravity, resulting in gravitational waves.
Purportedly, gravitational waves have been detected by a radio telescope at the South Pole, the BICEP2 (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization). The results must be confirmed, but this discovery could be one of the greatest in our modern era.
When I’m think from a cosmic perspective I realize that my trivial worries are nothing in the grand scheme of things, and it is something marvelous that I am a part of this min-boggling immensity.
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For more information on the gravitational wave observation:
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db johnston
almost falling 