Astronomy:GW190412
GW 190412 was a gravitational wave (GW) signal observed by the LIGO and Virgo detectors on 12 April 2019.[1][2] In April 2020, it was announced as the first time a collision of a pair of very differently sized black holes has been detected.[3] As a result of this asymmetry, the signal included two measurable harmonics with frequencies approximately a factor 1.5 (a perfect fifth) apart.[2][4]
The collision took place 2.4 billion light-years away.[3] The heavier of the black holes had a mass of 29.7 solar masses, and the lighter one around 8.4 solar masses.[3] The difference in mass meant that the secondary harmonic in the signal was strong enough to be detected, allowing researchers to perform a test of general relativity and determine that the larger black hole was spinning.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ "Superevent info - S190412m". LIGO. https://gracedb.ligo.org/superevents/S190412m/view/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The LIGO Scientific Collaboration; the Virgo Collaboration; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abraham, S.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C. et al. (17 April 2020). "GW190412: Observation of a Binary-Black-Hole Coalescence with Asymmetric Masses". Physical Review D 102 (4): 043015. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.102.043015. Bibcode: 2020PhRvD.102d3015A.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Starr, Michelle. "Astronomers Find First-Ever Collision of Black Holes With a Strange Mass Discrepancy" (in en-gb). ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/this-black-hole-collision-is-the-first-with-wildly-mismatched-masses.
- ↑ Berry, Christopher (18 April 2020). "GW190412—A new flavour of binary black hole" (in en). https://cplberry.com/2020/04/18/gw190412/.
External links
2019 in space | ||
|---|---|---|
Space probe launches  |
|   |
| Impact events |
| |
| Selected NEOs | ||
| Exoplanets |
| |
| Discoveries |
| |
| Comets | ||
| Space exploration |
| |
 |  |
