Scientists Spot the Spark From Ancient Collision of Neutron Stars
by Ben Panko Smithsonian.Com
A global team of astronomers has detected the bright spark of two neutron stars colliding, shedding light on the previously unknown origins of some of the universe’s heavy elements.
On August 17, scientists operating the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected another round of gravitational waves. Researchers have seen such ripples four times before, but this latest sighting differed from the rest: Astronomers not only heard the “chirp” of the ancient collision, they saw a flash of light.
“Imagine that gravitational waves are like thunder. We’ve heard this thunder before, but this is the first time we’ve also been able to see the lightning that goes with it,” Philip Cowperthwaite, researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian center for Astrophysics, says in a press release.
Predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, and first spotted by scientists in 2015, these distortions in the fabric of space-time come from the violent movements or collisions of celestial objects. But scientists haven’t yet been able to identify the objects causing these distortions. In September, researchers announced that they were narrowing in on the source of the waves using triangulation between two LIGO observatories in the U.S. and the European Virgo observatory.
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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