merger

We Might Have Seen The Afterglow of a Neutron Star Kilonova Explosion

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A strange X-ray glow seen in the sky three and a half years after an epic collision between two neutron stars is a first for science. According to astronomers studying the region of space, it could be the afterglow of the kilonova explosion that was generated by the merger, likely produced by a shock wave … Read more

The Milky Way’s Dramatic History of Violence Has Been Charted in a New Map

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Over the course of the history of the Universe, the Milky Way has not been serenely sailing through intergalactic space. Quite the contrary, actually. Over the last 13.6 billion years or so, it has collided with and consumed multiple other galaxies.   Now, through painstaking work, astronomers led by Khyati Malhan of the Max Planck … Read more

Incredibly rare stellar merger may have created strange stars

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Two particularly strange stars may have formed in a lucky collision, according to new research. What makes these two stars unusual is the high levels of carbon and oxygen at the surface of their atmospheres. Those elements are left behind as a star burns its helium, but that process takes place in the star’s core … Read more

Astronomers Keep Finding Stars That Should Be Dead. Now, We May Finally Know Why

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The most massive stars in the Universe are also the shortest-lived. The more mass a star has, the more quickly it burns through its fuel reserves, resulting in lifespans that are less than around 10 million years.   This fascinating fact leads us to a puzzle. Most of these stars are found relatively close to … Read more

Crash of the titans: imminent merger of giant black holes predicted | Science

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Tick … tick … boom? In the center of a galaxy 1.2 billion light-years from Earth, astronomers say they have seen signs that two giant black holes, with a combined mass of hundreds of millions of Suns, are gearing up for a cataclysmic merger as soon as 100 days from now. The event, if it … Read more

Researchers detect 1st merger between black holes with eccentric orbits

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Scientists have for the first time confirmed the merger of two highly eccentric black holes.  Egg-shaped eccentric orbits form when two black holes spiral towards each other and collide under each other’s strong gravitational influence. Therefore, highly eccentric orbits may suggest black holes repeatedly snack on other black holes in densely populated areas, like the … Read more