NASA | Colliding Neutron Stars Create Black Hole and Gamma-ray Burst

Armed with state-of-the-art supercomputer models, scientists have shown that colliding neutron stars can produce the energetic jet required for a gamma-ray burst. Earlier simulations demonstrated that mergers could make black holes. Others had shown that the high-speed particle jets needed to make a gamma-ray burst would continue if placed in the swirling wreckage of a recent merger.

Now, the simulations reveal the middle step of the process--how the merging stars' magnetic field organizes itself into outwardly directed components capable of forming a jet. The Damiana supercomputer at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics needed six weeks to reveal the details of a process that unfolds in just 35 thousandths of a second--less than the blink of an eye.

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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• astrophysics
• neutron star
• simulation
• black hole
• gamma ray burst
• Swift
• Scott Wiessinger

[AzaDee78]

With such beautiful mystery in the entirety of the Universe, and indeed on Earth, it amazes me that we Humans are so conflicted with each other. Imagine if we spent the worlds combined War budgets on space exploration.... We'd all be escaping to other worlds for our holidays... Instead, we continue to kill each other. We are so smart, yet equally stupid. Some of us see the light, and that has to be enough for now.

[Nomoreidsleft]

@bra13vo Let's 0.0000013% x 6,775,235,700 = 88.07. That's about right. Everyone in the NASA department working on this and their cat (the .07).

[prchecker]

some really good stuff here

[thnk4urself]

a sugar cube that weighs more than all the water in the great lakes, that's actually kind of scary

[WeaselWJ]

@Xellith LOL :D

[wsmarcel]

Putz! Que dahora hein! Abraço do Brazil, bejomeliga!

[tomahshari2009]

the computer stimulated image at 1:22 ... is it from NASA? cuz I've seen the same with the Chandra Observatory...?? O__O

[Xellith]

@MissionPossibleTX christianity christinsanity insanity. less steps.  yay.

[RockPwnsYou]

I may not understand a lot of this, but I still think it's cool...

[Sm0k4bl3]

@heloogangtas 0:30 spirit bomb xD