However, gravitational waves are extremely faint and hard to detect.\u00a0In fact, gravitational waves were only detected for the first time ever in September 2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n Studying these ripples in spacetime<\/a> can give astronomers clues about the most massive objects in the Universe, including how they evolve.<\/p>\n This latest study stems from observations made over the last 25 years using six of the world\u2019s most sensitive radio telescopes:<\/p>\n The gravitational waves detected in the study are thought to come from pairs of supermassive black holes at the centres of merging galaxies.<\/p>\n The discovery could help astronomers learn more about the formation and evolution of the Universe and the galaxies that populate it.<\/p>\n It could even uncover some of the secrets of our own Milky Way galaxy, and the origin of supermassive black holes at galactic centres.<\/p>\n The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) in collaboration with the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA),<\/p>\n The EPTA \u2018s goal is observe pulsars<\/a> \u2013 spinning neutron stars<\/a> that emit radio waves, which pulse like a lighthouse beacon as observed from Earth \u2013 with the goal of detecting gravitational waves.<\/p>\n The observations of 25 pulsars across the Galaxy effectively produces a galaxy-sized gravitational wave detector.<\/p>\n \u201cPulsars are excellent natural clocks,\u201d says Dr David Champion, senior scientist at the MPIfR in Bonn, Germany.<\/p>\n \u201cWe use the incredible regularity of their signals to search for minute changes in their ticking to detect the subtle stretching and squeezing of space-time by gravitational waves originating from the distant Universe.\u201d<\/p>\n Because the wavelengths of the gravitational waves are very long, the frequencies are low, which is why it has taken so long to collect enough data to be able to analyse the signals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results presented today mark the beginning of a new journey into the Universe to unveil some of its unsolved mysteries,\u201d says Dr Michael Keith, lecturer at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are incredibly excited that after decades of work by hundreds of astronomers and physicists around the world, we are finally seeing the signature of gravitational waves from the distant Universe.\u201d<\/p>\n Now the researchers aim to expand the current datasets in an International Pulsar Timing Array, which will involve over 100 pulsars being observed by 13 radio telescopes across the world.<\/p>\n![\""An\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2020\/02\/gravitational-waves-6baad9f-e1687955075968.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C349"\" "\\"\"An\\"\/")
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