The coalescing and ring-down takes a fraction of a second. The fraction of a second refers to the duration of the event. It does not mean they caught an event a fraction of a second after they turned it on.<p>Here&#x27;s a better article:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.newyorker.com&#x2F;tech&#x2F;elements&#x2F;gravitational-waves-exist-heres-how-scientists-finally-found-them" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.newyorker.com&#x2F;tech&#x2F;elements&#x2F;gravitational-waves-e...</a>