U bekijkt momenteel de Netherlands versie van de site.
Wilt u overschakelen naar uw lokale site?
2 MIN LEESTIJD
SPACE

Scientists spot flash of light from colliding black holes

Words by Meghan Bartels

Black holes aren’t supposed to make flashes of light. It’s right there in the name: black holes. Even when they slam into each other the massive objects are supposed to be invisible to astronomers’ traditional instruments. But when scientists detected a black hole collision last year, they also spotted a weird flash from the crash.

An artist’s depiction of two black holes merging within the disc of a supermassive black hole, later releasing a burst of light
© Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)

On 21 May 2019 Earth’s gravitational wave detectors caught the signal of a pair of massive objects colliding, sending ripples cascading through space-time. Later, an observatory, the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), caught a blast of light. As scientists looked at the two signals they realised both came from the same patch of sky, and researchers started wondering whether they had spotted a visible black hole collision.

Ontgrendel dit artikel en nog veel meer met
Je kunt genieten:
Geniet volledig van deze editie
Direct toegang tot 600+ titels
Duizenden oude edities
Geen contract of verplichting
ABONNEER NU
30 dagen proberen, dan gewoon €11,99 / maand. Op elk moment opzeggen. Alleen nieuwe abonnees.


Meer informatie
Pocketmags Plus
Pocketmags Plus

Dit artikel komt uit...


View Issues
How It Works
Issue 141
IN DE WINKEL BEKIJKEN

Andere artikelen in dit nummer


In This Issue
WELCOME
We don’t want to put you off reading this issue’s
SPECIAL
40 GROSS BUT FASCINATING FACTS
DID YOU KNOW? 2 The average person has between 1.5
SCIENCE
HOW OPTICAL ILLUSIONS WORK
DID YOU KNOW? Seeing faces in everyday objects is a
Your nervous system
Like any organisation, your success depends upon communication between your
Light and colour
Light such as sunlight contains the full electromagnetic spectrum, but
SPACE
EXPLORE THE THE MILKY WAY
The Milky Way is our galaxy, home to our Solar
SpaceX Dragon capsule
When the NASA Space Shuttle was retired in 2011, several
HISTORY
12 scientists who changed the world
Sight is one of our most treasured senses, but as
Inside the White House bunker
Looking at the White House, it’s easy to become envious
How American women won the vote
Voting gives us a voice. It allows us to express
TECHNOLOGY
MEGA PIPES
Right now the planet’s demand for energy is growing at
How dental drills work
Powered by electric or air-driven motors, modern dental drills have
TRANSPORT
Inside the battlefield bulldozer
The Caterpillar D9 bulldozer is expertly designed for its role
Inside the world’s largest engine
I nside the engine of a car, a line of
ENVIRONMENT
Killer crocodiles’ deadly anatomy
Crocodiles are often described as living fossils, but despite the
How do penguins swim?
Though ungainly on land, the flightless penguin has physical characteristics
REGULARS
FLASH-FROZEN BUBBLES
Lake Abraham in Alberta, Canada, is exposed to such sudden
EMERGING FROM THE DEAD
This might look like something out of a horror movie,
Huge diamonds formed near Earth’s core
Two of the world’s most famous diamonds may have originated
Scientists discover spider wearing ‘Joker’ make-up
A newfound spider species wears a striking red-and-white pattern on
Star 2.5 million-times brighter than the Sun disappears
In 2019 scientists witnessed a massive star, millions of times
Massive underwater rivers discovered off the coast of Australia
Massive, underwater rivers have been discovered hidden off Australia’s coasts
Mysterious radiation spike detected over Scandinavia
Radioactivity levels have spiked in the atmosphere over northern Europe,
Ancient humans ate snakes and lizards
People who lived 15,000 years ago in what is now
Genes from ‘culturally extinct’ people discovered in living humans
The last known members of the Indigenous Beothuk people of
WISH LIST
Looking to upgrade your breakfast? The R180 might just be
BRAIN DUMP
Why do some species exist for millions of years and
Endangered Animals: And How You Can Help
We’re starting to see many more significant examples of the
How to grow your own avocado tree
Extract the seed and clean it. Make sure the seed’s
INBOX
We have had a lot of thunder and lightning recently
FAST FACTS
DWARF CROCODILES ARE TINY - ABOUT AS BIG AS A
Chat
X
Pocketmags ondersteuning