A visualization of black holes. Credit: Caltech and R. Hurt.
Astronomers may have seen the light from two black holes smashing into one another.
Black holes are invisible to telescopes. The only way to observe black holes colliding is by detecting the resulting waves.
Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts ripples through spacetime when huge objects collide. Scientists have been observing the waves since the first detection in 2015, trying to understand their origins and the colliding bodies that may have created them.
The new detector picks up signals from the beginning.
Black holes are difficult to observe because they have a strong pull on light that can't be seen. Until now. Scientists think they may have seen light from the merger of two black holes for the first time.
There are theories that suggest that black holes could possibly emit a light signal through the material surrounding them by causing matter to spread. A team of Astronomers using the Caltech's Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory in California think they may have detected a light signal.
The European Virgo detector and LIGO were used to detect the wave created by the merger. The team thinks that the collision event they detected could be from two black holes.
Astronomers used ZTF to peer out into the universe and look for signals from the collision. This would be the first time that visible light would be used as evidence of two black holes colliding.
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