Astrophysicists Discover a Mysterious Perfect Explosion in Space – “It Makes No Sense”
When neutron stars collide they produce an explosion that, contrary to what was believed until recently, is shaped like a perfect sphere. Although how this…
Kilonova News
A One-in-Ten-Billion Binary Star System – First Kilonova Progenitor System Identified
Astronomers using the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope uncover a one-in-ten-billion binary star system. Astronomers using the SMARTS 1.5-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile,…
“Something We Had Never Seen Before” – Unusual Cosmic Explosion Blasts Hole in Established Science
The NASA Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, whose Mission Operations Center is located at Penn State University, discovered a blast of high-energy light from a galaxy…
Surprise Kilonova Discovery Shakes Up Long Gamma-Ray Burst Theory
Long Gamma-Ray Bursts Can Be Generated by Neutron Star Mergers For nearly two decades, astrophysicists have believed that long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) resulted solely from…
Unexpected Kilonova Discovery: Colossal Explosion Challenges Our Understanding of Gamma-Ray Bursts
International Gemini Observatory uncovers surprising evidence of colliding neutron stars after probing aftermath of gamma-ray burst. While investigating the aftermath of a long gamma-ray burst…
Astronomers May Have Detected a “Sonic Boom” From a Powerful Blast Known as a Kilonova
Astronomers may have detected a “sonic boom” from a powerful blast known as a kilonova. This event—called GW170817—is a result of a merger of two…
Mysterious Kilonova Explosion Afterglow Potentially Spotted for First Time
Strange ‘sonic boom’ accompanied unprecedented event. Mysterious X-rays observed 3.5 years after the merger of two neutron stars Astrophysicists believe a kilonova afterglow or materials…
Magnetic Monster? NASA’s Hubble Sees Unexplained Brightness from Colossal Explosion
Neutron-Star Collision Releases Puzzling Burst of Infrared Light In our infinite universe, stars can go bump in the night. When this happens between a pair…
Kilonova: Neutron Stars Create Gold and Platinum in Their Wake
This illustration shows the hot, dense, expanding cloud of debris stripped from neutron stars just before they collided. This cloud produces a kilonova; that is…
Illustration of Two Neutron Stars Just Before They Collide
This illustration shows the hot, dense, expanding cloud of debris stripped from two neutron stars just before they collided. Within this neutron-rich debris, large quantities…
NASA Scientists Detect First Light From a Gravitational-Wave Event
Neutron star collision cooks up exotic elements, gravitational waves When some people get in the kitchen, they create a delicious meal but leave behind a…
Astronomers View Light Show Associated With Gravitational Waves
Marking the beginning of a new era in astrophysics, astronomers have detected gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation, or light, from the same event for the…
Hubble Observes a Kilonova from Merging Neutron Stars
Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have observed a visible counterpart to gravitational waves for the first time: a kilonova from merging neutron stars….
