Massive Star Deaths Create Gravitational Ripples Across the Universe
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...