Deep space collision 650 million light-years away sends gravitational-wave signal

Astronomers have picked up a gravitational-wave signal originating from a dramatic collision deep in the cosmos. The event, dubbed GW230529, was recorded by the LIGO Livingston detector in May 2023.

Gravitational waves are caused by the acceleration of massive objects, such as merging black holes or neutron stars. According to Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, massive objects like planets, stars, and black holes distort the fabric of spacetime around them.

When these massive objects accelerate or change speed, they create waves that propagate outward at the speed of light.The detection of gravitational waves opens up a new window for observing the universe, allowing scientists to study phenomena that were previously inaccessible, such as the mergers of black holes and neutron stars, as well as the nature of gravity itself.

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GW230529, which happened due to the collision of a neutron star with an object falling into the "mass gap" between neutron stars and black holes, challenges prior assumptions about the prevalence of such events.

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AssistantProfessor at the University of British Columbia Dr Jess McIver pointed out that the discovery "reveals that there may be a higher rate of similar collisions between neutron stars and low-mass black holes than we previously thought."

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It is the first time such a gravitational wave detection involving a mass-gap object paired with a neutron star has been observed.

Neutron stars

Neutron stars typically have masses ranging from about 1.4 to 2 times that of the Sun. This density means that just a teaspoonful of neutron star material would weigh billions of tonnes on Earth.

They also have incredibly strong magnetic fields, trillions of times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. These characteristics make neutron stars a focus of study for astrophysicists trying to understand extreme conditions in the universe.

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Despite the excitement surrounding GW230529, pinpointing its exact source remains elusive. The detection, made just five days into the observing run, took place at 650 million light-years from Earth

(With inputs from agencies)