Star Collision

  • Released Monday, July 2, 2018
  • Updated Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 2:30PM
  • ID: 12949
Light bursts from the collision of two neutron stars.

Light bursts from the collision of two neutron stars.

Watch this animation of two neutron stars colliding and the kilonova that followed.

Listen to the gravitational wave detected by LIGO, followed by a ding when the gamma-ray burst was observed by Fermi.

Some of the debris blasts away in particle jets moving at nearly the speed of light, producing a brief burst of gamma-rays.

Some of the debris blasts away in particle jets moving at nearly the speed of light, producing a brief burst of gamma-rays.

The hot, dense cloud of debris from the neutron stars produced the kilonova's visible and infrared light.

The hot, dense cloud of debris from the neutron stars produced the kilonova's visible and infrared light.

X-rays (blue) were the last type of light observed in the remaining jet, spreading out laterally.

X-rays (blue) were the last type of light observed in the remaining jet, spreading out laterally.

Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope imaged the kilonova (top left in the inset) on Aug. 18, 2017, which occurred in the galaxy NGC 4993.

Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope imaged the kilonova (top left in the inset) on Aug. 18, 2017, which occurred in the galaxy NGC 4993.

For More Information

See NASA.gov

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab

Optical telescope image of kilanova is courtesy of NASA/Swift

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