New research suggests that gravitational waves generated by the collapse of massive, spinning stars, known as collapsars, could be detectable by instruments like LIGO and Virgo.

These waves, caused by material spiraling into black holes after a star’s explosive death, could offer insights into the inner workings of stars and black holes.

Previously, gravitational waves have only been detected from mergers of compact objects like black holes or neutron stars.

The study’s simulations indicate that collapsar-generated waves, while weaker than those from mergers, might still be strong enough to be detected within 50 million light-years, Sci-Tech Daily has reported.

Identifying these signals could help scientists better understand collapsars and black holes, though the task remains challenging due to the variability of star characteristics and the complexity of the waves.

Written by B.C. Begley