Gravitational waves announcement today live: Scientists announce first detection of century's biggest discovery - latest updates

The discovery has been heralded as the biggest of the century, and could offer an insight into the beginnings of the universe

Scientists are announcing that they have spotted ripples in the fabric of spacetime for the first time ever.

A team of experts who have been working for years to see gravitational waves have finally spotted them.

The discovery could lead to huge steps forward in understanding how the universe was formed and exploring its very deepest and darkest edges.

The announcement is the first time that the waves have been seen. They were predicted by Einstein almost exactly a century ago, but have never been directly observed.

The announcement includes members of the team at LIGO, a specialised system that uses two detectors to try and spot tiny vibrations from the waves as they pass.