gravitational waves – Astronomy Now

The case of the missing supermassive black hole

25 January 2021 Astronomy Now

Despite careful searches with the Hubble and Chandra space telescopes, astronomers have been unable to find a presumed supermassive black hole at the heart of a giant galaxy.

Researchers find strong hints of background ‘sea’ of gravity waves

12 January 2021 Astronomy Now

By measuring subtle changes in the timing of millisecond pulsar flashes, researchers are close to confirming the presence of a background “sea” of gravity waves.

Quantum jolts measured at macro scales in gravity wave detector

6 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Researchers measure the unimaginably small jostling caused by quantum fluctuations at human scales.

How to ‘seed’ supermassive black holes in the early universe

24 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Researchers in Italy have come up with a testable explanation for how supermassive black holes were able to grow so fast in the early universe.

Small black holes in colliding dwarf galaxies may be source of gravity waves

27 February 2020 Astronomy Now

Merging low-mass dwarf galaxies in the distant past could lead black hole collisions that would generate the sort of gravity waves detected to date.

Quantum “vacuum squeezers” improve sensitivity of gravity wave detectors

9 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Exotic technology improves the sensitivity of gravity wave detectors, allowing researchers in the U.S. and Europe to “see” more high-energy events

New technique touted for spotting elusive black hole mergers

18 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Black holes merging in the accretion disc of a supermassive black hole like the one at the core of the Milky Way might generate a visible signature, astronomers say.

Heavy element creation confirmed in neutron star merger

29 October 2019 Astronomy Now

For the first time, astronomers have identified a specific heavy element – strontium – created in the wake of a cataclysmic neutron star merger.

Upgrades to gravity wave detectors promise more discoveries

3 April 2019 Astronomy Now

After major upgrades to improve sensitivity, the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave observatories are set to begin a year of joint observations.

Astronomers see birth of rare binary neutron star

12 October 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found an “ultra-stripped supernova” that created a second neutron star in a tight binary system, matching theoretical predictions for how such binaries are formed in otherwise disruptive blasts.