Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

Gravitational Wave Source in NGC 4993

On August 17, 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected gravitational waves from a neutron star collision. Within 12 hours, observatories had identified the source of the event within the galaxy NGC 4993, shown in this Hubble Space Telescope image,...

NGC 4993

The galaxy NGC 4993 is located about 130 million light-years from Earth. On August 17, 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected gravitational waves from a neutron star collision within this galaxy. The event also resulted in a flare of light called...

Compass Image for Gravitational Wave Source in NGC 4993

Spectrum of a Kilonova

Five days after an August 17 gravitational wave event, the Hubble Space Telescope pointed its spectrograph at an associated bright flare called a kilonova (which is a thousand times brighter than a classical nova). The resulting spectrum of infrared light is difficult to...

Neutron Star Collision Creates Kilonova

Panel 1: A pair of neutron stars in a binary system spiral together. Orbital momentum is dissipated through the release of gravitational waves, which are tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time. Panel 2: In the final milliseconds, the two objects merge and produce a gamma-ray...

Narrated Zoom into GRB170817A in NGC 4993

This narrated movie zooms into the constellation Hydra to focus on the galaxy NGC 4993. Within this galaxy, a neutron star collision generated gravitational waves and an associated gamma-ray burst (GRB). It also resulted in a glow called a kilonova that was visible to telescopes...