A century after their theoretical prediction by Albert Einstein, gravitational waves remained elusive constructs of physics. For decades, the primary challenge was that their predicted effects—infinitesimal ripples in spacetime—were too minuscule for any existing instrument to perceive. The breakthrough came with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), an apparatus capable of measuring distortions thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus. The first successful detection in 2015 hinged on the ability to isolate a transient signal from a constant cacophony of terrestrial seismic activity and instrumental noise. This confirmation has since inaugurated an entirely new form of observational astronomy.