Neutron Star Mergers – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Out With a Bang: Explosive Neutron Star Merger Captured for the First Time in Millimeter Light

Posted on August 3, 2022August 3, 2022

Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)— an international observatory co-operated by the US National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)— have for the first time recorded millimeter-wavelength light from a fiery explosion caused by the merger of a neutron star with another star. The team also confirmed this flash of light to be one of the most energetic short-duration gamma-ray bursts ever observed, leaving behind one of the most luminous afterglows on record.

New Method May Resolve Difficulty in Measuring Universe’s Expansion

Posted on July 8, 2019July 8, 2019

Radio telescope observations have made it possible for astronomers to use mergers of neutron-star pairs as a valuable new tool for measuring the Universe’s expansion.

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