"Dying stars' cocoons create gravitational waves"

Researchers at Northwestern University have used computer simulations to show how cocoons of roiling gas spewed from dying stars may produce "impossible to ignore" gravitational waves, according to research presented at the 242nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The cocoon is a turbulent blob of gas, formed when the collapsing star's outer layers interact with the high-powered jets released from within. According to the calculations, the ripples created by the cocoon should be easily detectable by LIGO during its next set of observations.