Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Science

Pair of white dwarfs locked in 6-minute orbit might one day be observed by gravitational waves

Current gravitational-wave observatories aren't sensitive enough to capture the gravitational waves of binary stars. They can only see the gravitational chirps of black holes just as they are merging. But that will change as more sensitive instruments are developed. Recently, a team of astronomers d...

Pair of white dwarfs locked in 6-minute orbit might one day be observed by gravitational waves
Image: Phys.org
Current gravitational-wave observatories aren't sensitive enough to capture the gravitational waves of binary stars. They can only see the gravitational chirps of black holes just as they are merging. But that will change as more sensitive instruments are developed. Recently, a team of astronomers discovered a binary white dwarf system that could be a good target for advanced gravitational-wave observatories.

Originally published at Phys.org

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