Gravitational Waves Archives

Okay, Last Year’s Kilonova Did Probably Create a Black Hole

5 Jun , 2018 by Matt Williams

The kilonova event that took place last year, where two neutron stars merged, is now believed to have formed a black hole.

How to Listen to the Background Hum of Gravitational Waves From all the Black Holes Colliding into Each Other

18 Apr , 2018 by Matt Williams

A pair of scientists who were part of the first gravitational wave discovery have developed a way to listen to the background noise of the Universe to detect thousands more.

Here’s Something Strange, the Afterglow From Last Year’s Kilonova is Continuing to Brighten

22 Jan , 2018 by Matt Williams

Contrary to what was expected, a team of astronomers has discovered that kilonova event has been brightening ever since it first appeared

Astronomers Set the Limit for Just How Massive Neutron Stars Can Be

18 Jan , 2018 by Matt Williams

Based on recent gravitational wave research, a team of scientists from the University of Frankfurt have placed an upper limit on the mass of neutron stars

The Gaia Mission Could Moonlight as a Gravitational Wave Detector

5 Jan , 2018 by Matt Williams

A team of astronomers from the University of Cambridge recently showed how the Gaia mission could also help in the search for gravitational waves.

Kilonova Neutron Star Collision Probably Left Behind a Black Hole

19 Dec , 2017 by Matt Williams

According to a new study, the recent merger of two neutron stars (which was detected thanks to the gravitational waves it created) most likely led to the creation of a black hole.

GW170817 Update: Surprises From First Gravitational Wave Observed Independently

26 Oct , 2017 by Ian Steer

“This is quite literally a physics gold mine!” said Masao Sako, with the University of Pennsylvania. For over a week now, the astronomy and astrophysics communities have been buzzing with the news of the latest gravitational wave discovery. And this discovery has been big. Four days before the Great American Solar Eclipse on August 21, […]

First Cosmic Event Observed in Both Gravitational Waves and Light

16 Oct , 2017 by Nancy Atkinson

About 130 million years ago, in a galaxy far away, two neutron stars collided. The cataclysmic crash produced gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space and time. This event is now the 5th observation of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo collaboration, and the first detected that was […]

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In February 2016, LIGO detected gravity waves for the first time. As this artist's illustration depicts, the gravitational waves were created by merging black holes. The third detection just announced was also created when two black holes merged. Credit: LIGO/A. Simonnet.

Scientist Find Treasure Trove of Giant Black Hole Pairs

8 Oct , 2017 by Matt Williams

In two new studies by international teams of astrophysicists, a wealth of merging black hole pairs have been discovered, which has serious implications for gravitational wave research.

LIGO Scientists who Detected Gravitational Waves Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics

4 Oct , 2017 by Matt Williams

For their immeasurable contributions to the discovery of gravitational waves, Caltech professors Kip S. Thorne and Barry C. Barish, and MIT professor emeritus Rainer Weiss, were awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.

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