News in Brief Astronomy

Spin may reveal black hole history

Multiple mergers may create pairs that coalesce to make gravitational waves

merging black hole simulation

MERGERS REPEAT  Pairs of black holes that merge to create gravitational waves could have formed from a sequence of prior black hole mergers. Now scientists have some up with a method for testing that idea.

R. Hurt/Caltech-JPL

By Emily Conover

- More than 2 years ago

WASHINGTON — Researchers have devised a test to see if pairs of black holes — famous for creating gravitational waves when they merge — themselves formed from multiple mergers of smaller black holes.