When white dwarfs collide

Kicking up waves

When a pair of white dwarfs steadily spiral towards each other, they churn up the sea of spacetime. This creates gravitational waves that become more and more intense as the stars accelerate faster and faster.

Ready to merge

As they speed up, the white dwarfs’ orbits shrink, bringing them closer together. As they steadily spiral inward, they churn the sea of space-time further and release more gravitational waves.

A great collision

If a pair of white dwarfs are 80,500 kilometres (50,000 miles) apart, it will take thousands of years for them to merge. When they meet, a great explosion called a Type Ia supernova will occur.