In a press release responding to the announcement, Professor Paul Hardaker, CEO of the Institute of Physics, explained why the discovery of gravitational waves is so groundbreaking:

“We are delighted that the discovery of gravitational waves has won this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics. For as long as we have had astronomy we have used light in some form or another to understand how our universe works. This significant result marked the beginning of another way of viewing the universe, using gravity, which is what makes it such a major step forward, and so deserving of the Nobel Prize.”

In addition to the iconic gold medal featuring an image of Alfred Nobel, each of the three laureates will also receive a diploma from the King of Sweden and split over $1 million in prize money.