"Unprecedented Discovery: Neutron Star Merges with Enigmatic Cosmic Object"

A gravitational wave detected in May of last year has revealed a cosmic collision involving a neutron star and a mysterious object within the lower mass gap, a region between the heftiest neutron stars and lightest black holes. This marks the first gravitational-wave detection of a mass-gap object paired with a neutron star, suggesting that these elusive mystery objects could be common in the galaxy. The discovery has important implications for theories of binary evolution and electromagnetic counterparts to compact-object mergers, and it hints at the lower mass gap being less empty than previously thought. The LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA gravitational wave detectors are set to resume their observing run in April 2024, with expectations of more exciting black hole discoveries in the near future.