SPACE atoms , which is of direct relevance to science on Earth .
A neutron star is dense – a single teaspoon would weigh a billion tonnes . But a black hole is so dense that even light cannot escape its gravitational pull . “ When black holes and neutron stars collide , we think they ’ ll produce a larger black hole ,” Dr Nuttall says .
“ Some of the exciting things I see coming in the next few years from this research is getting a handle on how neutron stars and binary black holes form and what the stars that formed these black holes were like .
“ In this sense , we are now taking the exploration of stellar evolution into a new era . It ’ s exciting knowing that so much discovery is ahead of us . In learning more about how stars form , we will be learning more about how we came to be where we are today … the big questions .”
For Dr Nuttall , that is why astrophysics is important , from a scientific perspective and from a human perspective . She sees it as fundamental
Some of the exciting things I see coming in the next few years from this research is getting a handle on how neutron stars and binary black holes form and what the stars that formed these black holes were like .
– Laura Nuttall to who and what we are : “ We ’ re explorers . We are intrigued , as a species , and constantly trying to understand what the heck is going on .”
She says astrophysics has the potential to now open up doors to discovery , and comparatively quickly because scientists are now able to study astronomical objects in ways that have never before been possible .
“ It might not have an immediate , tangible output , like an MRI machine , but it is important because it is widening our understanding of our place in the cosmos .
“ And the more we understand ourselves , the more empathy we have for the world around us and perhaps better appreciate just how lucky we are to exist at all .
“ We ’ ve been going through some difficult times , slogging our way through a pandemic . So it ’ s nice to have some wonderment in our lives … to know more about the whole massive universe that ’ s out there and that somehow we ’ ve managed to evolve and exist on this one planet .” where ideas inspire .
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