• Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    7 months ago

    Can someone explain this part: “Such mergers are directly caused by gravitational waves.”.

    I would’ve described it the prize way around, that only the merger of neuron stars provide enough gravitational energy to result in measurable gravitational waves - but this article claims that it’s the other way around…?

    • wisha@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      7 months ago

      With Newtonian physics if you have two neutron stars orbiting each other they would just continue orbiting forever. With general relativity, the orbiting neutron stars shed energy by sending out gravitational waves. Losing energy they get closer and closer and then merge.

      • Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        7 months ago

        But it’s in the headline as well - that there should be a cause by the waves themselves - or perhaps I’m over reading the marketing side of science articles once more!