Tag: Gravitational Waves
-
Gravitational waves get to play a starring role in ‘Black Hole Apocalypse’ on TV
A disk of superheated debris blazes around a black hole. The bright circular pattern is caused by the gravitational lensing of light from the part of the disk that’s behind the black hole. (NOVA via YouTube) Black holes are the collapsed stars of the show on “Black Hole Apocalypse,” a two-hour “NOVA” presentation that’s premiering…
-
LIGO gravitational-wave hunters get lucky and find smallest black hole merger
An artist’s conception shows two black holes in the process of merging. (LIGO / Caltech / MIT Illustration) It took months to figure it out, but the scientists in charge of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO, have confirmed their observations of the most lightweight black hole merger yet. The latest detection provides further…
-
Neutron star collision an astronomical gold mine
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION An artist’s impression of two neutron stars merging in a cataclysmic collision, generating an explosive burst of light and gravity waves, squeezing and compressing space itself as they radiate away. On Aug. 17, astronomers detected both gravity waves and visible light from the merger of two neutron stars.…
-
A cosmic first! Gravitational waves and telescopes reveal the clash and flash of neutron stars
An artist’s conception shows two neutron stars merging, and sending out radiation as well as gravitational waves in the process. (NSF / LIGO / Sonoma State University Illustration / A. Simonnet) For the first time ever, researchers have recorded the cataclysmic smash-up of two neutron stars by virtue of their gravitational waves as well as…
-
Gravitational wave hubbub hints at LIGO’s first sighting of a neutron star smash-up
An artist’s conception visualizes the gravitational waves given off by a neutron star collision. (LIGO / MIT / Caltech Illustration) Another big announcement about gravitational waves is coming up, and this time the hints point to observations in electromagnetic wavelengths as well — emissions of light that may have come from a collision of neutron stars,…
-
No-surprise Nobel: LIGO physicists win prize for gravitational wave discoveries
The beamlines for the LIGO detector site at Hanford stretch out across the desert terrain of southeastern Washington. Each arm of the L-shaped detector is 2.5 miles long. (Credit: LIGO) This year’s Nobel Prize for physics is going, unsurprisingly, to three people who represent the hundreds of researchers behind the first direct detection of gravitational waves…
-
Europe’s Virgo detector picks up its first gravitational wave and nails down locale
This graphic shows the ripples in spacetime created by gravitational waves emanating from the merger of two black holes. (Max Planck Institute / NCSA Illustration) Astronomers have detected their fourth gravitational wave from the merger of two black holes, but this one marks a new milestone. It’s the first wave picked up by the Virgo…
-
Pioneering probe for gravitational wave observatory ends mission
Artist’s illustration of the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. Credit: ESA The European Space Agency’s LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, now sailing around the sun on a trajectory away from Earth, was deactivated Tuesday after a nearly 18-month mission testing previously-untried lasers, vacuum enclosures, exotic gold-platinum cubes and micro-thrusters needed for a trio of gravitational wave observatories set for…
-
Black holes crash together and make waves
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION Artist’s conception shows two merging black holes similar to those detected by LIGO. The black holes are spinning in a non-aligned fashion, which means they have different orientations relative to the overall orbital motion of the pair. LIGO found hints that at least one black hole in the…
-
This black hole crash expands the frontier for gravitational wave hunters at LIGO
An artist’s conception shows two merging black holes similar to those detected by LIGO. (LIGO / Caltech / MIT / Sonoma State Illustration / Aurore Simonnet) The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory has detected its third confirmed black hole merger, and this one’s a doozy: LIGO’s latest discovery is about 3 billion light-years away, which is more…