At 22 years old, Amber Lenon is part of history. The Glens Falls native and 2016 Syracuse University graduate was part of a team whose research confirmed a second pair of colliding black holes in the universe. Seen in a recreation by scientists, they are a region of space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that not even light can escape.
By using a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and supercomputers, they were able to observe and hear gravitational waves in space, associated with black holes -- proving part of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
“It was a very long process,” said Lenon. "We had to take a lot of time checking everything and making sure it was actually a gravitational wave."
Their research has gained attention worldwide. Wednesday, Lenon watched as her team officially announced its findings to the world during the American Astronomical Society Conference in San Diego.
“It was a lot of fun and really cool to sit back and look at everything, and say, 'wow, I’m a part of this really amazing discovery,' " said Lenon.
What's next for Lenon? She’ll be attending West Virginia University to get her Ph.D in Physics, while her team’s findings can help scientists for years to come.
"We can find out where platinum comes from; we can find out what happened at the beginning of the universe; we can find out a lot of things," said Lenon.