Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Either Or ...
A possible unknown entity meets its maker.
A distant object that could be smallest known black hole, or the largest known neutron star, has been spotted by the LIGO–Virgo gravitational-wave detectors.
The 2.6 solar-mass object appears to have merged with a 23 solar-mass black hole, creating gravitational waves that were detected here on Earth in August 2019. Unlike a previously observed merger between two neutron stars, no electromagnetic signal was observed.
At nearly 9:1, the ratio of masses of the two objects is the greatest ever detected by LIGO–Virgo.
End game.
“I think of Pac-Man eating a little dot,”
quips Kalogera, adding
“When the masses are highly asymmetric, the smaller neutron star can be eaten in one bite.”
Sounds about right. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Newer Post
Older Post
Home
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment