What is the sound of two black holes colliding? Some of them chirp. But a truly massive, fast-spinning black hole — such as the one featured in the movie “Interstellar” — might create a more dynamic song.

Colliding black holes don’t actually create sound waves, but they do create gravitational waves — distortions to space-time, the fabric of reality itself. In February, scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration announced the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves.

To help the general public understand the signal that LIGO detected, the researchers transformed the data into sound waves. As the black holes circle each other faster and faster, the sound climbs in pitch, like a slide whistle. The final collision produces a high-pitched chirp (listen to it here), and then the sound is abruptly cut off — the song stops because the two black holes have become one.

– See more at: http://www.space.com/32723-colliding-black-holes-sing-different-songs.ht…

What is the sound of two black holes colliding? Some of them chirp. But a truly massive, fast-spinning black hole — such as the one featured in the movie “Interstellar” — might create a more dynamic – See more at: http://www.space.com/32723-colliding-black-holes-sing-different-songs.ht…

What is the sound of two black holes colliding? Some of them chirp. But a truly massive, fast-spinning black hole — such as the one featured in the movie “Interstellar” — might create a more dynamic song.

Colliding black holes don’t actually create sound waves, but they do create gravitational waves — distortions to space-time, the fabric of reality itself. In February, scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration announced the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves.

To help the general public understand the signal that LIGO detected, the researchers transformed the data into sound waves. As the black holes circle each other faster and faster, the sound climbs in pitch, like a slide whistle. The final collision produces a high-pitched chirp (listen to it here), and then the sound is abruptly cut off — the song stops because the two black holes have become one.

– See more at: http://www.space.com/32723-colliding-black-holes-sing-different-songs.ht…

What is the sound of two black holes colliding? Some of them chirp. But a truly massive, fast-spinning black hole — such as the one featured in the movie “Interstellar” — might create a more dynamic song.

Colliding black holes don’t actually create sound waves, but they do create gravitational waves — distortions to space-time, the fabric of reality itself. In February, scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration announced the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves.

To help the general public understand the signal that LIGO detected, the researchers transformed the data into sound waves. As the black holes circle each other faster and faster, the sound climbs in pitch, like a slide whistle. The final collision produces a high-pitched chirp (listen to it here), and then the sound is abruptly cut off — the song stops because the two black holes have become one.

– See more at: http://www.space.com/32723-colliding-black-holes-sing-different-songs.ht…

What is the sound of two black holes colliding? Some of them chirp. But a truly massive, fast-spinning black hole — such as the one featured in the movie “Interstellar” — might create a more dynamic song.

Colliding black holes don’t actually create sound waves, but they do create gravitational waves — distortions to space-time, the fabric of reality itself. In February, scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration announced the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves.

To help the general public understand the signal that LIGO detected, the researchers transformed the data into sound waves. As the black holes circle each other faster and faster, the sound climbs in pitch, like a slide whistle. The final collision produces a high-pitched chirp (listen to it here), and then the sound is abruptly cut off — the song stops because the two black holes have become one.

– See more at: http://www.space.com/32723-colliding-black-holes-sing-different-songs.ht…

What is the sound of two black holes colliding? Some of them chirp. But a truly massive, fast-spinning black hole — such as the one featured in the movie “Interstellar” — might create a more dynamic song.

Colliding black holes don’t actually create sound waves, but they do create gravitational waves — distortions to space-time, the fabric of reality itself. In February, scientists with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration announced the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves.

To help the general public understand the signal that LIGO detected, the researchers transformed the data into sound waves. As the black holes circle each other faster and faster, the sound climbs in pitch, like a slide whistle. The final collision produces a high-pitched chirp (listen to it here), and then the sound is abruptly cut off — the song stops because the two black holes have become one.

– See more at: http://www.space.com/32723-colliding-black-holes-sing-different-songs.ht…

What is the sound of two black holes colliding?