1
00:00:00,030 --> 00:00:04,040
[slate]

2
00:00:04,060 --> 00:00:08,080
[slate]

3
00:00:08,100 --> 00:00:12,170
We saw gravitational waves

4
00:00:12,190 --> 00:00:16,250
and ordinary light from the same astrophysical event

5
00:00:16,270 --> 00:00:20,400
for the very first time. We saw two neutron stars, extremely dense stars

6
00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:24,590
rotating rapidly around one another radiating energy by gravitational

7
00:00:24,610 --> 00:00:28,660
waves. Until finally they merge in a huge explosion. That explosion

8
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,750
provides jets moving at the speed of light producing a flash of gamma rays

9
00:00:32,770 --> 00:00:36,890
and then later we saw optical and infarred emission that's telling us

10
00:00:36,910 --> 00:00:41,070
where in the universe heavy metals such as gold and platinum are produced

11
00:00:41,090 --> 00:00:45,110
[slate]

12
00:00:45,130 --> 00:00:49,180
That's exactly what I'm saying. So the gold is 

13
00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,240
was produced in this enourmous explosion. The conditions 

14
00:00:53,260 --> 00:00:57,370
around these merging neutron stars have densities 

15
00:00:57,390 --> 00:01:01,600
and temperatures completely unlike anything we can do on Earth. This is where

16
00:01:01,620 --> 00:01:05,670
gold is produced and then the explosion is driving those metals

17
00:01:05,690 --> 00:01:09,760
out into the interstellar media. At some point later

18
00:01:09,780 --> 00:01:13,900
new stars and planets will be formed and the gold on those

19
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:17,930
planets will have come from an explosion like this.

20
00:01:17,950 --> 00:01:22,130
[slate]

21
00:01:22,150 --> 00:01:26,210
We've seen explosions like this several hundred times per year. But this is the very first time

22
00:01:26,230 --> 00:01:30,330
that we've seen gravitational waves from the same explosion.

23
00:01:30,350 --> 00:01:34,490
So for the very first time that we've been able to conclusively say

24
00:01:34,510 --> 00:01:38,560
two merging neutron stars are what powered this enourmous explosion.

25
00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:42,650
And you always want to know what's producing the largest explosions that you know of in the universe.

26
00:01:42,670 --> 00:01:46,670
[slate]

27
00:01:46,690 --> 00:01:50,850
Gravitational waves are ripples in space time.

28
00:01:50,870 --> 00:01:55,030
Space-time is extremely stiff, but if you have

29
00:01:55,050 --> 00:01:59,120
that is extremely dense that has extremely high gravity like a neutron 

30
00:01:59,140 --> 00:02:03,230
star or a black hole. When those objects accelerate they cause

31
00:02:03,250 --> 00:02:07,380
ripples in space-time to go through the universe to be 

32
00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,278
detected on Earth like the one that we did in last August.