NSW scientists confirm space radio waves

Astronomers in Sydney have confirmed radio waves are being emitted from the ripples in space and time caused by the collision of dense stars.

Gravitational waves from the collision of two neutron stars were detected by NASA on August 17, alerting astronomers around the world to the likely existence of light, gamma rays and radio waves from the event.

A team led by Tara Murphy, an astrophysicist from the University of Sydney and the Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), soon afterwards confirmed a radio-wave emission from the gravitational wave.

Scientists say gravitational waves - predicted by Einstein 100 years ago - have the potential to unlock secrets of the universe.

The neutron stars collided in galaxy NGC 4993, around 130 million light-years away.

The collision was detected 11 hours after it happened. X-ray emissions were detected nine days later and radio waves after 15 days.

Associate Professor Murphy was in the United States at a conference with a colleague when the announcement came through via email.

'We immediately rang our team in Australia and told them to get on the CSIRO telescope as soon as possible (and) then started planning our observations," she said.

"We were lucky in a sense in that it was perfect timing but you have to be at the top of your game to play in this space. It is intense, time-critical science.

"It was the most exciting thing we'd see in our careers."

The radio emissions appeared as a "dot of light" or "blob" through the telescope, Prof Murphy said.