First detection of a black hole swallowing a neutron star

14 August 2019

On August 14 Gravitational Wave community including ANU Centre for Gravitational Physics announced detection of collision of two massive objects about 900 million light years away. The signal was detected by both the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US and the Virgo detector in Italy. It is very likely that the event was a black hole eating up a neutron star. If confirmed, it is the first ever detection of such event.

The scientists had already detected collision of black holes as well as neutron stars, and the recent detection of collision of a black hole and a neutron star completed the GW community's trifecta of observations on their original wish list.

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