When Stars Collide

Want to see some “astrophysical ecstasy?”  I think you do. Back in August, Caltech’s Laser Interferometer Gravity-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected a massive disturbance in the Force powerful ruction in space-time, the result of two neutron stars colliding a zillion and a half years ago, off in a galaxy far, far away.  LIGO had detected collisions before, but these were of black holes, so there was nothing to look at.  Neutron stars are visible, so the vast explosion was confirmed within hour...