‘Extremely exciting’ signal coming from huge mystery object in outer space

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But they said it was an “extremely exciting event” that appeared to have been caused by two compact objects, as scientists refer to dense phenomena such as black holes. “We could not determine with certainty if the compact objects are black holes or neutron stars, as the gravitational wave signal does not provide enough information,” said Geraint Pratten, from the University of Birmingham. Before the first detections of gravitational waves, reported early in 2016, scientists were only able to infer the nature of compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars using electromagnetic observations. “GW230529 is an exciting discovery because it hints at this ‘mass gap’ being less empty than astronomers previously thought, which has implications for the supernova explosions that form compact objects and for the potential light shows that ensue when a black hole rips apart a neutron star.” The discovery is being reported at the American Physical Society’s meeting, and is waiting for peer review.