WhyCosmo

A new study has uncovered that the explosive deaths of massive , spinning stars can send gravitational waves rippling across the universe , detectable right here on Earth. These stellar explosions, known as collapsars , occur when stars 15-20 times the mass of the Sun exhaust their nuclear fuel, collapsing inwards and forming black holes . After the death of a massive, spinning star, a disk of material forms around the central black hole. As the material cools and falls into the black hole, new research suggests that detectable gravitational waves are created. Credit: Ore Gottlieb. The intense implosion and subsequent explosion leave behind a swirling disc of matter around the black hole, which distorts space and generates powerful gravitational waves. These waves, traveling across the cosmos, have the potential to be detected by instruments like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) , which first observed such waves in 2015. LIGO Lead researcher Ore Gottlie...

    In a breathtaking discovery, astronomers have captured the dramatic transformation of a  supermassive black hole  as it "wakes up" and begins to glow for the first time. This cosmic giant, located  300 million light-years  away at the center of the  galaxy SDSS1335+0728 , has stunned the scientific community by transitioning from a dormant state to a highly active one, a process never observed in real time. A supermassive black hole in galaxy SDSS1335+0728 has lit up. This could give astronomers a new look at how such celestial beasts awaken. This groundbreaking observation, shared in the journal  Astronomy and Astrophysics  on June 18, 2024, sheds new light on the mysterious workings of active galactic nuclei (AGN)—the intensely bright cores of galaxies powered by supermassive black holes consuming vast amounts of matter. The findings could revolutionize our understanding of how these powerful cosmic engines ignite and evolve. The awaken...