The Well | When neutron stars collide | Michelle Thaller @The-Well | Uploaded September 2023 | Updated October 2024, 38 minutes ago.
NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains what happens when the densest stars in the galaxy collide.
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❍ Up next: Solving Stephen Hawking’s famous paradox youtu.be/d_cO4Dxm9A0?feature=shared
NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller talks about a heavy subject matter: neutron stars. These dead stars are so dense that just one teaspoonful of neutron star matter would equal the mass of Mount Everest.
Two neutron stars in orbit around each other will eventually collide, and when they do, they create ripples in the fabric of spacetime. Thanks to LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, scientists can detect these gravitational ripples by detecting disturbances in laser light.
Albert Einstein correctly predicted the existence of gravitational waves in his theory of general relativity, 100 years before astrophysicists first detected them.
Read the full video transcript: bigthink.com/the-well/what-happens-when-neutron-stars-collide
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Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.
So what do they think?
How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?
Let’s dive into The Well.
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NASA’s Michelle Thaller explains what happens when the densest stars in the galaxy collide.
❍ Subscribe to The Well on YouTube: bit.ly/welcometothewell
❍ Up next: Solving Stephen Hawking’s famous paradox youtu.be/d_cO4Dxm9A0?feature=shared
NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller talks about a heavy subject matter: neutron stars. These dead stars are so dense that just one teaspoonful of neutron star matter would equal the mass of Mount Everest.
Two neutron stars in orbit around each other will eventually collide, and when they do, they create ripples in the fabric of spacetime. Thanks to LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, scientists can detect these gravitational ripples by detecting disturbances in laser light.
Albert Einstein correctly predicted the existence of gravitational waves in his theory of general relativity, 100 years before astrophysicists first detected them.
Read the full video transcript: bigthink.com/the-well/what-happens-when-neutron-stars-collide
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
❍ About The Well ❍
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.
So what do they think?
How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions?
Let’s dive into The Well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join The Well on your favorite platforms:
❍ Facebook: bit.ly/thewellFB
❍ Instagram: bit.ly/thewellIG
