---
title: "Scientists Just Detected a Black Hole Devouring a Neutron Star"
description: "Scientists at LIGO just observed the gravitational waves given off by a black hole as it consumed a neutron star for the first time."
date: "2019-05-03"
modified: "2019-05-03"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-detected-black-hole-devouring-neutron-star"
categories:
  - "Astrophysics"
  - "Black Holes"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "Black holes"
  - "physics"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Just Detected a Black Hole Devouring a Neutron Star

![Scientists at LIGO just observed the gravitational waves given off by a black hole as it consumed a neutron star for the first time.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/scientists-detected-black-hole-devouring-neutron-star.png>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Star Killer

In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory — better known as LIGO — famously [observed gravitational waves](<https://futurism.com/gravitational-waves-bring-extreme-universe-into-view>) indicating the cosmic shockwave of two merging black holes.

In April, scientists at the observatory recorded another "first" — this time the waves given off by a black hole as it devoured a neutron star, [according to *Ars Technica*](<https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/ligo-may-have-spotted-a-black-hole-neutron-star-merger/>). The first-of-its-kind event was the fifth cosmic merger detected by LIGO in April alone, giving scientists a vast cache of new information about the dynamic universe.

## Upping The Ante

The observatory, especially since partnering with other observatories, now has a much better resolution than it did back in 2016. These upgrades have made observations of black hole mergers [more common](<https://futurism.com/category/space>), to the point that *Ars* reports LIGO will no longer bother publishing articles about each individual one.

But a black hole swallowing a neutron star is still worth the extra fanfare. According to the observatories' pooled findings, the incident happened about 1.2 billion light-years away — meaning it took place more than a billion years ago.

Scientists haven't narrowed down the exact location of the merger relative to the night sky, but *Ars* reports that they've narrowed it down to a region making up about three percent of the sky, so if there's any visual component of the merger to be seen, they may be able to spot it soon.

**READ MORE:** [LIGO may have spotted a black hole-neutron star merger](<https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/ligo-may-have-spotted-a-black-hole-neutron-star-merger/>) \[*Ars Technica*\]

**More on LIGO:** *[LIGO Just Detected the Oldest Gravitational Waves Ever Discovered](<https://futurism.com/ligo-detected-the-oldest-gravitational-waves-ever-discovered>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)