The international collaboration of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA has announced observations of a recent event: the collision of 35 black holes that released gravitational waves -- tiny vibrations in the fabric of space-time.
This gravitational wave event is caused by a cosmic collision. Of the 35 gravitational waves, 32 are likely to be related to two black holes colliding with each other. Two more events may involve a rare black hole in association with a neutron star. One remaining event becomes a mysterious object that cannot be explained.
"It is only now that we are beginning to appreciate the astonishing diversity of black holes and neutron stars. Our latest results prove that they come in all sizes and combinations," Christopher Berry, member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, said in a statement.
"We have solved some old mysteries but discovered some new ones too. Using these observations, we are getting closer to unlocking the mystery of how stars - the building blocks of our universe - evolve," he said.
According to Hannah Middleton, a postdoctoral researcher at OzGrav, University of Melbourne, each new observation the team makes often brings new discoveries and surprises. Detection of gravitational waves has become a daily thing for them, but it is still an interesting issue to discuss.
"Future observation trips are sure to come across even more unusual events - gravitational wave astronomers have a lot to look forward to," Middleton said.
Maya Fishbach, NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow and a member of the collaboration also shared her thoughts on the latest findings. As it turned out, according to him, the universe has very interesting gravitational waves.
"Our improved detectors will be able to pick up quieter signals, including black holes and neutron stars merging further afield... I can't wait to see what else is out there."
