The collision of two dead stars has been watched
for the first time by an international team
of researchers.
The event gave off gravitational waves - ripples
in space and time - that were first predicted
by Albert Einstein.
The collision happened 130 million years ago,
but its light and waves have only now reached
us.
The observations confirmed gold, platinum
and other heavy metals were blown into space
by the aftermath of the merger, supporting
the theory that such cataclysmic events are
likely the source of these metals.
