Event

A Conversation with the Stars

On August 17 2017, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the unique signature of an astronomical event that had never been witnessed before: the merging of two neutron stars. Long thought to be the source of half the heavy elements (including most of the gold and platinum) in the universe, these explosive mergers fade away so quickly and are so faint that they are very unlikely to be caught by telescopes in visible light. Thanks to LIGO, which measures the gravitational waves of such events, astronomers at Las Campanas Observatory knew where to point their telescopes and were the first to capture a neutron star merger in visible and infra-red light.

Dr. Christopher Burns, of the Carnegie Observatories, will briefly introduce the concept of gravitational waves, describe how LIGO measures them, and tell the story of how the smallest telescope at LCO, the Swope, has become its most famous telescope overnight.

Please join us!