A neutron star crash may have spawned a black hole

X-rays suggest the merger didn’t create a supersized version of the stellar remnants

neutron star merger illustration

TWO BECOME ONE  The collision of two neutron stars that made waves in spacetime — and in the astronomical community — probably birthed a super-lightweight black hole, a new study finds.

M. Weiss/CXC/NASA

The first observed smashup of two stellar remnants known as neutron stars probably forged the least massive black hole yet discovered, researchers report in the June 1 Astrophysical Journal Letters.