Press Statement 17-010

Jim Ulvestad, NSF acting assistant director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, issues statement on detection of two 'light' black holes merging

December 6, 2017

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

Scientists supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced the detection of the merger of two relatively "light" black holes, 7 and 12 times the mass of the sun, respectively, at a distance of about 1 billion light-years. NSF'sLaser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) made the detection in June. LIGO is funded by NSF and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The black hole merger, GW170608, is the lightest observed thus far by LIGO and the Europe-based Virgo detector. The LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration submitted a paper toThe Astrophysical Journal Letters describing the newly confirmed observation.

Jim Ulvestad, NSF acting assistant director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, issued the following statement on the observation:

Gravitational-wave detection is becoming almost commonplace, and each detection provides new ways to study some of the most powerful events in the universe. This binary black hole merger is the latest confirmation for the value of NSF's investment in Advanced LIGO upgrades that are making such detections possible. LIGO's twin detectors have now provided unprecedented insights into five binary black hole mergers and one binary neutron star merger, the latter event being the first to combine gravitational-wave detection with telescope observations to launch a new era of multi-messenger astrophysics.

-NSF-

---

Media Contacts
Aya Collins, NSF, (703) 292-7737, email: acollins@nsf.gov

Related Websites
Windows on the Universe: The Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/universe.jsp

---

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

 Get News Updates by Email 

Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF
Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov