First observations of mixed binaries

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The Virgo, LIGO and KAGRA scientific collaborations today announced the first observation ever of binary systems consisting of a neutron star and a black hole. This was made possible by the detection, in January 2020, of gravitational signals (nicknamed GW200105 and GW200115 from the dates of their detection) emitted by two systems, in which a black hole and a neutron star, rotating around each other, merged into a single compact object. The existence of these systems was predicted by astronomers several decades ago, but they had never been observed with confidence, either through electromagnetic or gravitational signals, until now.

Read more on virgo and LIGO. Read the discovery paper on IOP Science.