X-rays glow from blast waves as colliding neutron stars create a kilonova
Astronomers have detected a second source of powerful X-rays coming from the aftermath of a pair of colliding neutron stars, indicating either the shrapnel from the explosion is slamming into material that surrounded the event, or that the aftermath of the merger created a black hole, and now material is falling onto it. Either way, whoa. A wee bit of background: