First kilonova (IMAGE)

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH

First kilonova

Caption

On 17 August 2017, within the lenticular galaxy NGC 4993, the first collision oft wo neutron stars could be observed by measurements of gravitational waves. The associated stellar flare, a kilonova, is clearly visible in the observations of the Hubble space telescope. Hubble observed the kilonova gradually fading over the course of six days (insets).

Credit

NASA and ESA. Acknowledgment: A.J. Levan (U. Warwick), N.R. Tanvir (U. Leicester), and A. Fruchter and O. Fox (STScI)

Usage Restrictions

No restrictions.

License

Public Domain

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