Watch CBS News

Gravitational waves discovery ripples through social media

Excitement spread through social media and the scientific community after researchers working with the U.S.-led Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, project announced Thursday that the gravitational waves Albert Einstein predicted a century ago were finally detected.

The hashtag #gravitationalwaves rippled across all social media platforms, quickly becoming a trending topic.

Here are a few posts that stood out. Twitter user @nashiUX proved that the force was with Einstein's prediction. Scientific genius versus Darth Vader? No contest.

Einstein himself (or at least, his Twitter avatar) took a moment to revel in this long-awaited validation.

NASA shared a mesmerizing visualization of how gravitational waves form.

Popular Science proved that #gravitationalwaves rivaled Kim Kardashian in breaking the Internet.

@Arindam_1104 took the opportunity to make a science pun.

Instagram user @annemietsyen paid her respects by posing next to Einstein's wax statue at Madame Tussauds London.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.