View source for GW170608

{{Infobox astronomical event}}
'''GW170608''' was a [[gravitational wave]] event that was recorded on 8 June 2017 at 02:01:16.49 UTC by [[Advanced LIGO]]. It originated from the [[Binary black hole|merger of two black holes]] with masses of <math>12^{+7}_{-2}\,M_\odot</math> and <math>7^{+2}_{-2}\,M_\odot</math>.<ref name="APJ" /><ref>{{cite news|title=LIGO and Virgo announce the detection of a black hole binary merger from June 8, 2017|url=https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo20171115|access-date=17 November 2017|work=LIGO Lab {{!}} Caltech|date=November 15, 2017}}</ref> The resulting black hole had a mass around 18 solar masses. About one solar mass was converted to energy in the form of gravitational waves.<ref>{{cite web|title=LIGO and Virgo announce the detection of a black hole binary merger from June 8, 2017|url=https://phys.org/news/2017-11-ligo-virgo-black-hole-binary.html|access-date=20 November 2017|date=November 16, 2017}}</ref>

== Event detection ==

The signal was not detected by automated analyses, as the Hanford instrument was undergoing tests at specific frequencies and data from the instrument was not being analyzed. The signal was initially identified by visual inspection of triggers from the Livingston detector. Manual follow-up with the Hanford data revealed a coincident signal.<ref name="GCN_170608"/> Subsequent investigations determined that the ongoing tests of the Hanford instrument did not affect the recovery of the signal from the Hanford data.<ref name="Phys" />

== Announcement ==
This was the first gravitational wave detection where the scientific article announcing the discovery was posted on the electronic preprint arXiv server before the paper was accepted for publication by the journal.<ref name="berry" />

== References ==
{{Reflist|40em|refs=
<ref name="APJ">{{cite journal |collaboration=LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration |last1=Abbott |first1=Benjamin P.|title=GW170608: Observation of a 19-solar-mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence|doi=10.3847/2041-8213/aa9f0c|arxiv=1711.05578|journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal Letters]]|volume=851|issue=2|pages=L35 |date=18 December 2017|bibcode=2017ApJ...851L..35A|s2cid=9030576 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name="Phys">{{cite news|title=LIGO and Virgo announce the detection of a black hole binary merger from June 8, 2017|url=https://phys.org/news/2017-11-ligo-virgo-black-hole-binary.html|date=16 November 2017}}</ref>
<ref name=GCN_170608>{{cite web 
 |url=https://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/other/G288732.gcn3
 |title=GCN notices related to LIGO/Virgo Alert of GW170608
 |date=6 June 2017 |access-date=17 November 2017
 |work=Gamma-ray Burst Coordinates Network
 |publisher=Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA
}}</ref>
<ref name="berry">{{cite web|title=GW170608—The underdog|url=https://cplberry.com/2017/11/16/gw170608/|website=Christopher Berry|date=16 November 2017}}</ref>
}}

{{Gravitational waves}}
{{2017 in space}}

[[Category:Gravitational waves]]
[[Category:June 2017]]
[[Category:2017 in science]]
[[Category:2017 in outer space]]
[[Category:Stellar black holes]]