[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6706\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ENeutron star collision gives rise to \u2018multi-messenger\u2019 astronomy\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event, which allowed scientists to confirm that gold and platinum are formed in such collisions, marks a new approach to astronomy where different forms of observation are used to create a detailed picture of what\u2019s happening.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn this case the collision was observed through both gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves including light.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018With this detection is born what is called multi-messenger astronomy,\u2019 said Dr Michele Punturo, former detector coordinator of the VIRGO gravitational wave observatory and researcher at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics, both in Italy. \u2018It is the new nature of the detectors that are pushing for that.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA neutron star is a small relic of a collapsed star, tens of kilometres across but with a mass equivalent of one to two suns. Because of its small size, the matter in a neutron star is extremely dense, packed so tightly that even one sugar-cube-sized chunk of it would weigh a billion tonnes, or as much as Mount Everest.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe collision, or coalescing, of two neutron stars, which took place 130 million years ago, was first detected by VIRGO and the US-based LIGO gravitational wave observatories.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn 17 August scientists detected a clear and unusual signal which was long lasting and indicated a mass far less than that of a black hole. They were able to triangulate the origin of the signal to a particular region of the southern sky.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt around the same time, NASA\u2019s space-based gamma ray observatory Fermi detected a strong gamma ray burst from the same region of the sky.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESubsequently, an array of 70 telescopes and detectors around the world, including NASA\u2019s Hubble telescope, pivoted towards the source of the signal to confirm the rare event. It was also verified by the Very Large Telescope at the\u0026nbsp;European Southern Observatory,\u0026nbsp;which has been\u0026nbsp;partly funded by the EU to the tune of EUR 14 million.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Gravitational wave observatories (in yellow) and 70 telescopes and detectors (in blue) worked together to detect the neutron star collision. Image credit \u2013 LIGO\/VIRGO\u0022 height=\u00222701\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/GW%2BEM_Observatories_Map_0.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Gravitational wave observatories (in yellow) and 70 telescopes and detectors (in blue) worked together to detect the neutron star collision. Image credit \u2013 LIGO\/VIRGO\u0022 width=\u00224804\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EGravitational wave observatories (in yellow) and 70 telescopes and detectors (in blue) worked together to detect the neutron star collision. Image credit \u2013 LIGO\/VIRGO\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERange of data\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe telescopes collected a range of data as well as gravity waves and gamma rays, including visible light, X-rays, radio waves and other signals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results, which are \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\/10.1103\/PhysRevLett.119.161101\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Epublished today\u003C\/a\u003E in the journal \u003Cem\u003EPhysical Review Letters\u003C\/em\u003E, are co-signed by 11 researchers whose PhDs have been funded through the EU\u2019s GraWIToN project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Punturo, who coordinates GraWIToN, a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/research\/mariecurieactions\/about_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EMarie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie project\u003C\/a\u003E, said that gravitational wave detection has opened up new opportunities for observatories. \u2018For the first time we are listening (to the universe),\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I think all the scientists working with telescopes understood \u2026 the importance of the novelty introduced by gravitational waves and this paid off for everybody because now we have 70 telescopes that participated in one of the largest discoveries of the past years.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThis is a wonderful achievement.\u0026amp;nbsp;But it\u2019s really the beginning of something new.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Michele Punturo, VIRGO gravitational wave observatory, Italy\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile astronomers believe it may take years to sift through the treasure trove of cosmic data obtained during the event, a number of key discoveries have already emerged.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGold and platinum\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor one thing, in the fiery aftermath of the collision between these two ultra-dense neutron stars, astronomers observed the signatures of gold and platinum being formed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECosmological theory suggests that the only event with enough energy to create many elements heavier than iron is a neutron star collision. That theory has now been confirmed by observation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event is the latest stunning success for the 21st-century\u2019s newest form of astronomy, gravitational wave detection. The existence of gravitational waves, which have been described as ripples in space-time, was first confirmed in 2015, and the discovery led to this year\u2019s Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded to three key contributors to the LIGO-VIRGO collaboration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGravitational wave detectors feature long tunnels arranged in an L-shape with ultra-sensitive detection and measuring equipment which can pick up the almost imperceptible signs of a gravity wave.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The VIRGO observatory in Italy has ultra-sensitive detection and measuring equipment to spot gravitational waves. Image credit \u2013 \u2018VirgoDetectorAerialView\u2019 by The Virgo collaboration is in the public domain\u0022 height=\u00223033\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/VirgoDetectorAerialView-CC_small.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022The VIRGO observatory in Italy has ultra-sensitive detection and measuring equipment to spot gravitational waves. Image credit \u2013 \u2018VirgoDetectorAerialView\u2019 by The Virgo collaboration is in the public domain\u0022 width=\u00224045\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EThe VIRGO observatory in Italy has ultra-sensitive detection and measuring equipment to spot gravitational waves. Image credit \u2013 \u2018VirgoDetectorAerialView\u2019 by The Virgo collaboration is in the public domain\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe existence of gravitational waves as predicted by Einstein\u2019s theory of relativity was confirmed by observing a collision between two black holes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe neutron star collision, dubbed GW170817, was the first observation of a gravitational wave jointly obtained with VIRGO following recent upgrades to the observatories\u2019 equipment. An event of this magnitude is only expected to arise once in 80 000 years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe next stage in the life cycle of the gravitational wave observatories is to upgrade the LIGO and VIRGO instrumentation to improve sensitivity yet again.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Punturo is looking forward to the next phase already. \u2018This is a wonderful achievement,\u0027 he said. \u2018But it\u2019s really the beginning of something new.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg class src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 alt width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe GraWIToN researchers who co-signed the research paper are Matthieu Gosselin, Daniel T\u00f6yr\u00e4, Jose M. Gonz\u00e1lez Castro, Imran Khan, Shubhanshu Tiwari, Gang Wang, Serena Vinciguerra, Akshat Singhal, Zeno Tornasi, Omar De Varona and Marina Trad Nery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-wrl1trm7qrqiymdvpcrjyh81pmxizfiqx9q4aonicmk\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-wRl1trm7qrqiYMDvPcRJYH81pMXIZfIqX9Q4aONIcmk\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]