In GW150914, black holes of 36 and 29 solar masses left behind one of about 62 — roughly three solar masses converted straight into gravitational waves in under a second. The spacetime sheet sags under the pair, ripples race outward, and the frequency climbs into a chirp exactly as they touch. The neutron-star pair of GW170817 came with a kilonova flash that forged gold and platinum.
In GW150914, black holes of 36 and 29 solar masses left behind one of about 62 — roughly three solar masses converted straight into gravitational waves in under a second. The spacetime sheet sags under the pair, ripples race outward, and the frequency climbs into a chirp exactly as they touch. The neutron-star pair of GW170817 came with a kilonova flash that forged gold and platinum.
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