AT 2017gfo
 The GW170817 signal as measured by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors | |
| Date | 17 August 2017 (23:33 UTC) Las Campanas Observatory[1] |
|---|---|
| Right ascension | 13h 09m 48.085s[1] |
| Declination | −23° 22′ 53.343″[1] |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Distance | 40 Mpc (130,000,000 ly) |
| Host | NGC 4993 |
| Progenitor type | Collision of two neutron stars[2] |
| Notable features | First confirmed detection of the optical signature corresponding to a gravitational wave event. First confirmed optical detection of a neutron binary star merger. |
Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a) was the transient astronomical event discovered on August 17th, 2017, that corresponded to the gravitational wave source GW170817, and the soft, short gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A.
SSS17a was discovered by the One-Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the Swope Telescope located at the Las Campanas Observatory[1] less than 11 hours after the detection of the gravitational waves by the LIGO/VIRGO collaboration, and independently detected by a number of other astronomical collaborations within an hour.[2] X-rays and radio waves from this source were subsequently detected.[3]
The optical detections of this event allowed its location in the sky to be determined to a better precision than the gravitational wave and gamma-ray observations alone.[1] This revealed the host galaxy of the merger, NGC 4993, which provided an improved estimate of its distance from earth.[1] Over time, the color of the optical source changed from blue to red as the source expanded and cooled.[4]
Subsequent studies[3] [5] [6] of the dynamics and spectra of the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light from this source are consistent with a kilonova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei that were synthesized following the merger of two neutron stars.[2][7] This demonstrated that neutron star mergers play a role in the creation (nucleosynthesis) of many of the elements heavier than iron.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Coulter, D. A. (2017). "Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the optical counterpart to a gravitational wave source". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aap9811.
- ^ a b c Abbott, B. P. (2017). "Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 848 (2). doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa91c9.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b Megan Fellman (16 October 2017). "In historic observation, astronomers detect colliding neutron stars for the first time". Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ a b Drout, M. R. (2017). "Light curves of the neutron star merger GW170817/SSS17a: Implications for r-process nucleosynthesis". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aaq0049.
- ^ Christopher Burns (16 October 2017). "A New Era of Astronomy Begins with First Observation of Neutron Star Merger". Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ Kathy Svitil (16 October 2017). "Caltech-Led Teams Strike Cosmic Gold". Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ Dennis Overbye (16 October 2017). "LIGO Detects Fierce Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time". Retrieved 16 October 2017.
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