Black hole merger confirms Einstein and Hawking theories

A black hole merger 1.3 billion light years away confirmed theories by Einstein and Hawking. Gravitational waves from the collision allowed scientists to observe the "ringing" of the new black hole, confirming its properties are defined solely by mass and spin, as predicted by Kerr. The merger also proved Hawking's area theorem, showing the event horizon's surface area increased, while mass decreased due to energy loss as gravitational waves.