Neutron star merger seen in gravity and matter

This visualization shows the coalescence of two orbiting neutron stars. The left panel contains a visualization of the matter of the neutron stars. The different coloured layers are different densities, which have been made transparent to show more structure. The right panel shows how space-time is distorted near the collisions. The spiral wave distortions at the end of the merger propagate to Earth and are measured as gravitational waves.

More information and download options: http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1...

Credit:
Christopher W. Evans/Georgia Tech

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  • Science & Technology

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  • Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)