A kilonova occurs when a neutron star merges with another neutron star or with a black hole. The kilonova itself is the electromagnetic emission bursting from this event, and is very rare!
We base expectations on the intrinsic binary neutron star merger (BNS) rate from gravitational wave detectors, but there are multiple rates from different methods (for a summary+fig below: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41114-021-00034-3).
However, observationally we’re looking at <1 per year with current tech
Comments
However, observationally we’re looking at <1 per year with current tech