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GW170817

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GW170817
The GW170817 signal as measured by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors. Signal is invisible in the Virgo data
Event typeGravitational wave event Edit this on Wikidata
Distance40.7 Mpc (133,000,000 ly)
Redshift0.0099 Edit this on Wikidata
Total energy output≈
Other designationsGW170817
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[edit on Wikidata]

GW170817 is a tentative name for a gravitational wave signal rumored to have been observed by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration on 17 August 2017, and to have an optical counterpart. The collaboration has declined to comment on the rumors, not adding to a previous announcement that there were several triggers under analysis.[1]

The first public information was tweeted by astronomer J. Craig Wheeler of the University of Texas at Austin. He later deleted the tweet and apologized. Others have followed up, and reported that the public logs of several major telescopes list priority interrupts in order to observe NGC 4993, a galaxy 40 Mpc (130 Mly) away in the Hydra constellation.[2][3]

Astrophysical origin

Preliminary suggestions indicate that the rumored gravitational wave event was associated with the collision of two neutron stars.[2][3][4][5] This stellar collision may be related to a gamma-ray burst, named GRB 170817A, also detected on 17 August 2017.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Staff (25 August 2017). "A very exciting LIGO-Virgo Observing run is drawing to a close August 25 [2017]". LIGO. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b Casttelvecchi, Davide (25 August 2017). "Rumours swell over new kind of gravitational-wave sighting". Nature News. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22482. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b McKinnon, Mika (23 August 2017). "Exclusive: We may have detected a new kind of gravitational wave". New Scientist. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. ^ Sokol, Joshua (25 August 2017). "What Happens When Two Neutron Stars Collide?". Wired (magazine). Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b Drake, Nadia (25 August 2017). "Strange Stars Caught Wrinkling Spacetime? Get the Facts". National Geographic (magazine). Retrieved 27 August 2017.
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