LIGO Detects Fierce Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time

[Confounding]

Kaboom!

LIGO Detects Fierce Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time

Astronomers have now seen and heard a pair of dead stars collide, giving them the first glimpse of what they call a “cosmic forge,” where the world’s jewels were minted billions of years ago.

The collision rattled space-time and sent a wave of fireworks across the universe, setting off sensors in space and on Earth on Aug. 17 as well as producing a long loud chirp in antennas designed to study the Einsteinian ripples in the cosmic fabric known as gravitational waves. It set off a stampede around the world as astronomers scrambled to turn their telescopes in search of a mysterious and long-sought kind of explosion called a kilonova.

After two months of underground and social media rumblings, the first wave of news is being reported Monday about one of the least studied of cosmic phenomena: the merger of dense remnants known as neutron stars, the shrunken cores of stars that have collapsed and burst.

Such collisions are thought to have profoundly influenced the chemistry of the universe, creating many of the heavier elements in the universe, including almost all the precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and uranium. Which is to say that the atoms in your wedding band, in the pharaoh’s jewels and the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and still threaten us all were formed in a cosmic gong show that reverberated across the heavens billions of years ago.

As astronomers gather for news conferences in several cities around the world, a blizzard of papers are being published, including one in The Astrophysical Journal Letters that has 3,500 authors — a third of all the professional astronomers in the world — from 910 institutions. “That paper almost killed the paperwriting team,” said Vicky Kalogera, a Northwestern University astrophysicist who was one of 10 people who did the actual writing.

More papers are appearing in Nature and in Science, on topics including nuclear physics and cosmology.

“It’s the greatest fireworks show in the universe,” said David Reitze of the California Institute of Technology and the executive director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Awesome.

 

[Old Rocks]

Absolutely wonderful.

 

[waltky]

Astronomers witness neutron stars colliding...

New frontier for science as astronomers witness neutron stars colliding
16 Oct.`17 - Extraordinary event has been ‘seen’ for the first time, in both gravitational waves and light – ending decades-old debate about where gold comes from

The collision of a pair of neutron stars, marked by ripples through the fabric of space-time and a flash brighter than a billion suns, has been witnessed for the first time in the most intensely observed astronomical event to date. The extraordinary sequence, in which the two ultra-dense stars spiralled inwards, violently collided and, in all likelihood, immediately collapsed into a black hole, was first picked up by the US-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Ligo).

As its twin detectors, in Louisiana and Washington state, picked up tremors in space-time that had spilled out from the merger 130m light years away, an alert went out to astronomers across the globe. Within hours, 70 space- and ground-based telescopes swivelled to observe the red-tinged afterglow, making it the first cosmic event to be “seen” in both gravitational waves and light. Dave Reitze, executive director of Ligo, said: “What is amazing about this discovery is it is the first time we’ve got a full picture of one of the most violent, cataclysmic events in the universe. This is the most intense observational campaign there has ever been.”

Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves a century ago, but the first experimental proof that space itself can be stretched and squeezed took until 2015, when Ligo scientists detected a collision of black holes. But this dark merger, and the three detected since, were invisible to conventional telescopes. As the stars collided, they emitted an intense beam of gamma rays and the sky was showered with heavy elements, resolving a decades-old debate about where gold and platinum come from.

Neutron stars are the smallest, densest stars known to exist: about 12 miles wide, with a teaspoon of neutron star material having a mass of about a billion tons. The core is a soup of pure neutrons, while the crust is smooth, solid and 10 billion times stronger than steel. The 100-second hum picked up by Ligo told the story of how the two stars, each slightly heavier than the sun, approached their death. Initially separated by 200 miles, they circled each other 30 times a second. As they whirled inwards, accelerating to 2,000 orbits each second, the signal rose in pitch like a slide whistle.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Einstein proven right again...

Neutron star collision has changed our understanding of universe: scientists
Wed, Oct 18, 2017 - THEORY PROVED: The observation of the collision is another feather in the cap for Albert Einstein, who predicted gravitational waves more than 100 years ago

For the first time, scientists have witnessed the cataclysmic crash of two ultra-dense neutron stars in a galaxy far away and concluded that such impacts forged at least half the gold in the universe. Shock waves and light flashes from the collision traveled about 130 million light-years to be captured by detectors on Earth on Aug. 17, excited teams revealed at news conferences held around the globe on Monday as a dozen related science papers were published in top academic journals. “We witnessed history unfolding in front of our eyes: two neutron stars drawing closer, closer ... turning faster and faster around each other, then colliding and scattering debris all over the place,” joint discoverer Benoit Mours of France’s CNRS research institute said. The groundbreaking observation solved a number of physics riddles and sent ripples of excitement through the scientific community.

Most jaw-dropping for many, the data finally revealed where much of the gold, platinum, uranium, mercury and other heavy elements in the universe come from. Telescopes saw evidence of newly-forged material in the fallout, the teams said — a source long suspected, now confirmed. “It makes it quite clear that a significant fraction, maybe half, maybe more, of the heavy elements in the universe are actually produced by this kind of collision,” said physicist Patrick Sutton, a member of the US-based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), which contributed to the find. Neutron stars are the condensed, burnt-out cores that remain when massive stars run out of fuel, blow up and die. Typically about 20km in diameter, but with more mass than the sun, they are highly radioactive and ultra-dense — a handful of material from one weighs as much as Mount Everest.

An undated illustration provided by the National Science Foundation shows an artist’s impression of two merging neutron stars.​

It had been theorized that mergers of two such exotic bodies would create ripples in the fabric of space-time known as gravitational waves, as well as flashes of high-energy radiation called gamma ray bursts. On Aug. 17, detectors witnessed both phenomena, 1.7 seconds apart, coming from the same spot in the constellation of Hydra. “It was clear to us within minutes that we had a binary neutron star detection,” said David Shoemaker, another member of LIGO, which has detectors in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. “The signals were much too beautiful to be anything but that.” The observation was the fruit of years of labor by thousands of scientists.

Along with LIGO, they include teams from Europe’s Virgo gravitational wave detector in Italy, and a number of ground and space-based telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble. “This event marks a turning point in observational astronomy and will lead to a treasure trove of scientific results,” said Bangalore Sathyaprakash from Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, recalling “the most exciting [discovery] of my scientific life.” “It is tremendously exciting to experience a rare event that transforms our understanding of the workings of the universe,” added France Cordova, director of the National Science Foundation, which funds LIGO. The detection is another feather in the cap for physicist Albert Einstein, who predicted gravitational waves more than 100 years ago. Three LIGO pioneers — Barry Barish, Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss — were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics this month for the observation of gravitational waves, without which the latest discovery would not have been possible.

MORE

 

[Two Thumbs]

Why?

why do we have something like this?
what benefits do we get from it?
and how can I get a high paying job sitting in front of it?

 

[fncceo]

Did both the Neutron stars have insurance?

 

[Confounding]

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

 

[Old Rocks]

Why?

why do we have something like this?
what benefits do we get from it?
and how can I get a high paying job sitting in front of it?

Why do we seek new knowledge? Of what use is studying some esoteric materials called semiconductors?

You can't get a job, even a low paying one, with anything to do with the field of physics. You don't have the intellect for that.

 

[TNHarley]

I heard it created $8 octillion worth of gold. Isnt that crazy?
I dont even know how much that is lol

 

[TNHarley]

Why?

why do we have something like this?
what benefits do we get from it?
and how can I get a high paying job sitting in front of it?

Is there ever a bad time to learn?
Understanding this could lead to understanding black holes. Which could lead to god knows what. Maybe even interspace travel
Also, understanding the universe helps us understand our own world better.

 

[Old Rocks]

An old Eastern Oregon cowboy, Rueben Long, put it best. "Research, even when it costs too much, is always a bargain".

 

[Two Thumbs]

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

 

[Two Thumbs]

Why?

why do we have something like this?
what benefits do we get from it?
and how can I get a high paying job sitting in front of it?

Is there ever a bad time to learn?
Understanding this could lead to understanding black holes. Which could lead to god knows what. Maybe even interspace travel
Also, understanding the universe helps us understand our own world better.

nonsensical grasping of straws.

 

[Confounding]

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

History will see people like you similarly to how it sees science suppressors from the middle ages. The quality of human existence is, has been and always will be inextricably linked to its understanding of science. Science is everything from the asphalt in the roads you drive on to the zinc in your computer. We have gained a lot from our efforts to understand space, and that will continue to be true as time goes on. Nothing is more valuable to humanity than scientific knowledge.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

 

[Two Thumbs]

re

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

really?

you have proof of that?

and I'm asking for proof, not someone else opinion.

 

[Two Thumbs]

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

History will see people like you similarly to how it sees science suppressors from the middle ages. The quality of human existence is, has been and always will be inextricably linked to its understanding of science. Science is everything from the asphalt in the roads you drive on to the zinc in your computer. We have gained a lot from our efforts to understand space, and that will continue to be true as time goes on. Nothing is more valuable to humanity than scientific knowledge.

not suppressing .

when the bill comes due, damn little will get done anywhere.

fyi; Dow got out of the asphalt business b/c of government regs. people like you force us to rebuild roads 2 years after they have been rebuilt.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

re

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

really?

you have proof of that?

and I'm asking for proof, not someone else opinion.

I do, and thanks for asking!

 

[Two Thumbs]

re

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

what benefits do we get from it?

From having an ever more detailed understanding of the nature of our universe? Oh, I don't know; use your imagination.

So, nothing.

nothing but more debt to pay for some other peoples useless hobby

Well, for starters, learning about gravity waves helps us refine the theory of relativity, which you are completely dependent upon to share your deep insights on the internet.

really?

you have proof of that?

and I'm asking for proof, not someone else opinion.

I do, and thanks for asking!

link it up.