Gravitational waves: Scientists release 'chirp' sound of 'ripples in the fabric of spacetime' flying past us

The sound is far too quick to hear — but a slowed down version of the all-important bleep has been released

Scientists have discovered gravitational waves resulting from the violent collision of two black holes (Reuters)

Scientists have released what is perhaps the most important sound heard this century.

A new recording captures the moment a gravitational wave flew past Earth, proving long-held theories and potentially giving insights into the very deepest parts of the universe.

Gravitational waves spew out from places like black holes and dying stars. Eventually they might allow us to look into those same strange parts of the universe, giving us clues about how it began.

The particular sound heard this time around emerged millions of years ago when two black holes careered into one another.

Einstein predicted the sound almost exactly a century ago. And scientists have spent decades proving that it exists, and searching for it.

The sound and the wave was captured by the Ligo project, which uses super-sensitive detectors to look for tiny movements that indicate that the waves are passing through.