September 10, 2024
Scientists detect a black hole swallowing a neutron star
A black hole compared to Pacman swallowed a neutron star 900 million years ago. Scientists have long suspected such binary systems of black holes and neutron stars may exist (artist's impression) but this is the first time they've captured evidence of it happening.
A black hole compared to Pacman swallowed a neutron star 900 million years ago. Scientists have long suspected such binary systems of black holes and neutron stars may exist (artist’s impression) but this is the first time they’ve captured evidence of it happening.

A black hole compared to Pacman swallowed a neutron star 900 million years ago and scientists say they’ve just detected the ‘belch’ it released.

Black holes are the super-dense remains of dead stars, some of which may have formed when neutron stars – the collapsed core of a giant star – collapses further.  

Experts detected ripples in space and time from the cataclysmic event, which happened about  5,300 million trillion miles (8,550m tr km) away from Earth.

Researchers have long suspected such binary systems of black holes and neutron stars may exist but this is the first time they’ve captured evidence of it happening. 

An international team of researchers, including from The Australian National University (ANU), in Canberra used the Ligo and Virgo gravitational wave detectors, based in the US and Europe respectively, to make the finding.

Scientists are still analysing the data to confirm the exact size of the two objects, but initial findings indicate the very strong likelihood of a black hole enveloping a neutron star.  

‘About 900 million years ago, this black hole ate a very dense star, known as a neutron star, like Pac-man – possibly snuffing out the star instantly,’ Professor Susan Scott from the ANU, said in a written statement.

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See Also:

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(5) Dark matter: How NASA’s Hubble telescope spots key evidence proving dark matter is real

(6) The moon would look brighter than the SUN if the human eye could see cosmic rays: Incredible NASA images taken with a gamma ray telescope transform it into a fiery ball

(7) Spotting merging galaxies

(8) Best of both worlds: Asteroids and massive mergers

(9) A massive star completely destroyed by a supernova is puzzling scientists

(10) Jupiter may have been hit by a massive proto-planet long ago

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