On 12 February 2016 a paper published in Physical Review Letters by Abbott et al. with over 1000 co-workers, provided the details of the first direct detection of gravitational waves under the title: “Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger.” There are two, or twin, LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational –wave Observatory) systems involved in corroborating the detection of the gravitational wave GW150914 with one located in Hanford, Washington and the other in Livingston, Louisiana. According to Abbott et al., the individual masses of the pair of black holes were the equivalent of roughly 36 and 29 solar masses. The coalesced product of the pair of black holes was a single black hole with a mass equivalent to 62 Suns. The mass difference equivalent of 3 Suns was radiated as gravitational energy in about 20 ms. The power radiated during the 20 ms merger of the two black holes is calculated and compared to the total power emitted by all the stars in the Universe and is found to be significantly greater than all stellar power combined. Andrew R. Ochadlick Jr. received a Ph.D. in Physics from the State University of New York at Albany (SUNYA) and is a career physicist with university, government and industry R&D experience and teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate level. He may be reached at andrewochadlickphysics@alumni.albany.edu .
