Stellar collision

Simulated collision of two neutron stars

A stellar collision is the coming together of two stars^[1] caused by stellar dynamics within a star cluster, or by the orbital decay of a binary star due to stellar mass loss or gravitational radiation, or by other mechanisms not yet well understood.

Astronomers predict that events of this type occur in the globular clusters of our galaxy about once every 10,000 years.^[2] On 2 September 2008 scientists first observed a stellar merger in Scorpius (named V1309 Scorpii), though it was not known to be the result of a stellar merger at the time.^[3]

Any stars in the universe can collide, whether they are "alive", meaning fusion is still active in the star, or "dead", with fusion no longer taking place. White dwarf stars, neutron stars, black holes, main sequence stars, giant stars, and supergiants are very different in type, mass, temperature, and radius, and so react differently.^[2]

A gravitational wave event that occurred on 25 August 2017, GW170817, was reported on 16 October 2017 to be associated with the merger of two neutron stars in a distant galaxy, the first such merger to be observed via gravitational radiation.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

^ Fred Lawrence Whipple (March 1939), "Supernovae and stellar collisions", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 25 (3): 118–25, Bibcode:1939PNAS...25..118W, doi:10.1073/pnas.25.3.118, PMC 1077725, PMID 16577876
^ ^a ^b Chang, Kenneth (13 June 2000), "Two Stars Collide; New Star is Born", The New York Times, retrieved 14 November 2010
^ Tylenda, R.; Hajduk, M.; Kamiński, T.; et al. (11 April 2011). "V1309 Scorpii: merger of a contact binary". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 528: A114. arXiv:1012.0163. Bibcode:2011A&A...528A.114T. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201016221. S2CID 119234303.
^ Overbye, Dennis (16 October 2017), "LIGO Detects Fierce Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time", The New York Times
^ Casttelvecchi, Davide (25 August 2017). "Rumours swell over new kind of gravitational-wave sighting". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22482. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
^ Sokol, Josha (25 August 2017). "What Happens When Two Neutron Stars Collide?". Wired. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
^ Drake, Nadia (25 August 2017). "Strange Stars Caught Wrinkling Spacetime? Get the Facts". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.

[1] Fred Lawrence Whipple (March 1939), "Supernovae and stellar collisions", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 25 (3): 118–25, Bibcode:1939PNAS...25..118W, doi:10.1073/pnas.25.3.118, PMC 1077725, PMID 16577876

[CHAN-2] Chang, Kenneth (13 June 2000), "Two Stars Collide; New Star is Born", The New York Times, retrieved 14 November 2010

[Tylenda-3] Tylenda, R.; Hajduk, M.; Kamiński, T.; et al. (11 April 2011). "V1309 Scorpii: merger of a contact binary". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 528: A114. arXiv:1012.0163. Bibcode:2011A&A...528A.114T. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201016221. S2CID 119234303.

[4] Overbye, Dennis (16 October 2017), "LIGO Detects Fierce Collision of Neutron Stars for the First Time", The New York Times

[NAT-20170825-5] Casttelvecchi, Davide (25 August 2017). "Rumours swell over new kind of gravitational-wave sighting". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22482. Retrieved 27 August 2017.

[WIRED-20170825-6] Sokol, Josha (25 August 2017). "What Happens When Two Neutron Stars Collide?". Wired. Retrieved 27 August 2017.

[NG-20170825-7] Drake, Nadia (25 August 2017). "Strange Stars Caught Wrinkling Spacetime? Get the Facts". National Geographic. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.

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