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LIGO Magazine
@ligomagazine.bsky.social
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The LIGO Magazine is published twice a year by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (@ligo.org). Read free online for gravitational-wave news, stories behind the science and more!

www.ligo.org/magazine
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ligomagazine.bsky.social
In the latest edition of the #LIGOMagazine, Catalina Miritescu told us all about bringing #GravitationalWave noise hunting with @ligo.org-@egovirgo.bsky.social-KAGRA to the Romanian National Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad!

Read all about it at (pdf, page 38): ligo.org/wp-content/u...
A screenshot of LIGO Magazine article "From noise hunting to Olympiads" by Catalina Miritescu. The page shows the article title and a photo of the author. The image shows a plot produced by students as part of their Olympiad challenge. Image credit: Catalina Miritescu.
November 13, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
We are pleased to announce our discovery of #GW241011 and #GW241110

Both come from binary black holes where one black hole is much larger than the other. The larger black holes have large spin. Could these black holes have formed in a previous merger?

ligo.org/science-summ...

#O4IsHere 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Infographic about GW241011 and GW241110 GW241011's source contained black holes about 13 and 8 times the mass of our Sun. The spin of the bigger black hole is high and bear aligned with the orbit. GW241110's source contained black holes about 17 and 8 times the mass of our Sun. The spin of the larger black hole is high and near anti-aligned with the orbit. Credit: Shanika Galaudage/Northwestern University/Adler Planetarium
October 29, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
Our next webinar will introduce our latest #GWTC4 release and the associated data (papers arxiv.org/abs/2508.18080 and arxiv.org/abs/2508.18079)

Tomorrow at 15:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after

Free registration wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

☄️🔭
GWTC-4.0 Introduction & Open Data Webinar 13 November 2025 Webinar live from 15:00 UTC
November 12, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligoindia.bsky.social
14th Sep was celebrated internationally by the international scientific community as the tenth anniversary of the first direct detection of #Gravitationalwaves. LIGO-India EPO joined the global celebration by organising a special event on this day
IUCAA, Pune
October 4, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
Yesterday's Astronomy Picture of the Day #APOD featured #GW250114! This artwork imagines the ultimate front-row seat as two black holes spiral together on their way toward producing the strongest gravitational-wave signal we've detected so far

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25092...

🎨A Simonnet 🔭🐚
This artwork imagines the ultimate front-row seat for GW250114, a powerful collision between two black holes observed in gravitational waves by the US National Science Foundation LIGO. It depicts the view from one of the black holes as it spirals toward its cosmic partner.
September 25, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
Last Sunday was the 10th anniversary of our first #GravitationalWave detection!

Join us for a thread of celebratory cakes enjoyed by members of our collaboration

First, a cake from @ozgrav.bsky.social Looks like plenty to share?

🖼️: J Powell

🧵🎂 #GW10Years
A sheet cake decorated with "Happy 10 Birthday GW150914", confetti, balloons, a binary black hole, and the data from our first detection, as well as the OzGrav logo. It is edged with some creamy frosting.
September 19, 2025 at 5:03 PM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
In the latest edition of #LIGOMagazine, Ivan Markin chats with Pekka Manninen from LUMI (@lumi-supercomputer.eu) about paths to fossil free computing & the LUMI experience of using 100% renewables.
Read all about it at (pdf, page 40): ligo.org/wp-content/u...

#ClimateChangeConversations
#GW10Years
A screenshot from LIGO Magazine article "A path to fossil-free supercomputing". The image shows the title of the article displayed over a photo of the LUMI data centre in Finland. The data centre is in a large building and is artistically lit in shades of blue. Image credit: Fade Creative.
September 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
We are thrilled to feature two posters in the latest #LIGOMagazine!

One poster explores the evolution of #GravitationalWave science.

By Yi Shuen Christine Lee / Carl Knox / @ozgrav.bsky.social
Full resolution version at: dcc.ligo.org/G2501957/pub...

#GW10Years @ligo.org @egovirgo.bsky.social
A poster in purples, pinks and blues showing a timeline of gravitational wave science. The timeline starts in the 1910s with the proposal of the existence of gravitational waves and goes up to the present day when we celebrate 10 years of gravitational wave observations as well as looking to future wit new facilities being planned and built. Throughout the timeline, there are illustrations showing black holes, neutron stars, gravitational waves and interferometers.
September 18, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
asleepywanderer.bsky.social
Friends, did you know that @ligo.org and @ligomagazine.bsky.social were on Bluesky? If you want to keep up to date with the gravitational wave world go follow them!

🧪🔭
September 18, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
A decade of detecting gravitational waves: The Naked Scientists podcast catch up on the current status of gravitational-wave astronomy and future plans, including an interview with Prof. Gaby Gonzalez

www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/nak...

#GW10Years 🔭🧪⚛️
A decade of detecting gravitational waves
To boldly LIGO...
www.thenakedscientists.com
September 17, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
During the recent LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA meeting, the 2024 winner of the LIGO Laboratory Award for Excellence in Detector Characterization and Calibration, Louis Dartez, received his honorary Calibration Wizard hat.

Congratulations to Dr. Dartez!

www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/award-e...
Louis Dartez receiving his LIGO Calibration Wizard hat at the September 2025 LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA meeting from Jess McIver. The hat is a traditional pointy blue hat, but is covered with images of lasers.
September 16, 2025 at 2:16 PM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
Exciting to get a first look at the #LISA spacecraft!

In the latest #LIGOMagazine, Oliver Jennrich & Nora Lützgendorf told us all about the selection of the industrial prime contractor.

Read all about it on page 34 (pdf): ligo.org/wp-content/u...

@lisacommunity.bsky.social #GW10Years
A screenshot of LIGO Magazine article "LISA construction starts: Industrial prime contractor selected!" which is part of the "Meanwhile in Space..." series. The image shows the title of the article as well as two images. One image shows the handshake between Carole Mundell (from ESA) and Chiara Pedersoli (from OHB). They are smiling and standing in front of a banner which reads "LISA mission signature event". The other image shows the two authors of the article, Oliver Jennrich & Nora Lützgendorf. They are sat together at a table smiling.
September 16, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
asleepywanderer.bsky.social
Happy birthday GW150914!
When you were detected I was still an undergrad looking to get into GWs for her PhD (it's important to my internal story of myself that I wanted to do this *before* the detection)
It's hard to believe how far we've come since then.
🐡🧪🔭
#GW10Years
A digital drawing with text that says "happy birthday GW150914", a spacetime cake with a 10 and two black holes on it, and the GW150914 waveforms around it all
September 15, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
egovirgo.bsky.social
Exactly 10 years ago, the signal of a gravitational wave from the merger of two black holes arrived on Earth. It was not a special signal, but one like many that had always reached our planet. On that day, however, for the first time humankind was ready to listen to it. (1/7)
September 14, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
ligo.org
The latest issue of @ligomagazine.bsky.social is out now and free to read

🎉 Celebrate 10 years of gravitational-wave astronomy with us 🎉

ligo.org/wp-content/u...

🔭🧪⚛️ #GW10Years
Front cover of issue 27 of the LIGO Magazine 10 years of graviational wave astronomy GW150914 to GW231123: a signal that changed to world (p 6) GW231123: the most massive black hole merger yet! (p 24) GWTC-4.0 cataglgue paper (p 20) GW observatories of the future (p 34) Climate change conversations: Fossil-free supercomputing (p 40)
September 13, 2025 at 6:55 PM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
🎉 New LIGO Magazine out now!! 🎉

Celebrating 10 years of gravitational wave astronomy with a bumper edition!

Read it free online at (pdf):
👉 ligo.org/wp-content/u...

#GW10Years #LIGOMagazine @ligo.org @egovirgo.bsky.social
Front cover of LIGO Magazine issue 27. The headline article text reads: "10 years of Gravitational Wave Astronomy". Two gravitational wave signals are shown in the main image - they are shown as timeseries data which look wiggles. In the top corner, an illustration of a birthday cake is shown - the cake is being distorted as it is sucked into a black hole! Cover: Main image: GW150914 and GW231123 image by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA/Sascha Rieger. Top inset: GW231123 plot from LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA. Bottom inset: Masses in the stellar graveyard plot by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA/Aaron Geller/Northwestern. Bottom-left (diagonal): LISA image from OHB. Top-right corner: GW150914 birthday cake artwork by Storm Colloms.
September 15, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
egovirgo.bsky.social
Today we celebrate the eight-year anniversary of a discovery that changed astronomy forever: on this day eight years ago @ligo.org and Virgo detected their first ever neutron star merger, GW170817 💥
August 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
New results out today from LIGO (@ligo.org) - Virgo (@egovirgo.bsky.social) - KAGRA !

The latest catalogue features more than double the number of probable signals compared to the previous one!

#GWTC4 paper: arxiv.org/abs/2508.18082
ligo.org LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · Aug 26
Results from the first part of our fourth LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA observing run are out today!

We're pleased to share the largest catalog of gravitational-wave observations with more discoveries of black holes and neutron stars

📰 arxiv.org/abs/2508.18082

🔭🧪⚛️☄️ #GWTC4
New masses in the stellar graveyard plot, showing astronomical observations of black holes and neutron stars. The number of gravitational-wave observations of black holes is overwhelming. The plot is arranged to look nice, the horizontal axis has no meaning, but the vertical one shows masses. We have a significant range of masses from about 1 solar mass to over 200 solar masses for our largest merger remnant. New out today is a neutron star black hole binary GW230518_125908, as well as a lot of binary black holes.
August 26, 2025 at 1:28 PM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
Check out this interview with Debnandini Mukherjee about #GW231123 !
August 4, 2025 at 9:01 AM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
Today at Carole Mundell's (@cmundell.bsky.social ) a few familiar objects can be spotted!

This mosaic shows a #GravitationalWave signal in time and frequency @uofgravity.bsky.social

Check out the story behind the first mosaic here: (page 17) ligo.org/wp-content/u...
A mosaic of a gravitational wave signal
July 16, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
lisacommunity.bsky.social
This year it is 10 years since the discovery of #GravitationalWaves in 2015!

www.ligo.caltech.edu/video/ligo20...

@ligo.org @egovirgo.bsky.social
#GW150914
#GR24Amaldi16
A speaking giving a talk on a stage with slides projected behind them.
July 16, 2025 at 7:32 PM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
Today at #GR24Amaldi16, the GWECS team is presenting on supporting early career researches.

GWECS is Gravitational Wave Early Career Scientists - find out more at: gwecs.org
A presentation at a scientific conference. The speaker is standing at a podium. The slides are projected behind them. The title of the slides is "Supporting early career researchers".
July 15, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
cplberry.bsky.social
Gravitational-wave detector updates at #GR24Amaldi16
ashtr0.bsky.social Ashwathi Nair @ashtr0.bsky.social · Jul 14
Favorite plots from the day, which were presented by Prof. Yuta Michimura. The plots summarized some key points on the technique for minimizing noise for different parts of the power spectrum.l, sensitivity evolution of LVK, and all the cool science that can be done by next gen detectors!
July 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by LIGO Magazine
sbisco.bsky.social
In this morning’s plenary at #GR24Amaldi16, Amanda Farah introduces the newest (and most massive and likely most rapidly spinning) @ligo.org - @egovirgo.bsky.social - KAGRA event, #GW231123! Read more about this exceptional event in the discovery paper: arxiv.org/abs/2507.08219
Amanda Farah at a podium in front of a slide introducing GW231123
July 14, 2025 at 11:04 AM
ligomagazine.bsky.social
Find out all about #GW231123 in the @ligo.org - @egovirgo.bsky.social - KAGRA paper - free to read online on #arXiv
ligo.org LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · Jul 14
The LIGO Virgo KAGRA study of #GW231123 was posted to the arXiv today, and is free to read

arxiv.org/abs/2507.08219

Data are available from the GW Open Science Center

gwosc.org/eventapi/htm...

#OpenScience #OpenData ☄️
arXiv preprint GW231123: a Binary Black Hole Merger with Total Mass 190-265 M⊙ On 2023 November 23 the two LIGO observatories both detected GW231123, a gravitational-wave signal consistent with the merger of two black holes with masses 137+22−17M⊙ and 103+20−52M⊙ (90\% credible intervals), at luminosity distance 0.7-4.1 Gpc and redshift of 0.39+0.27−0.24, and a network signal-to-noise ratio of ∼22.5. Both black holes exhibit high spins, 0.9+0.10−0.19 and 0.80+0.20−0.51 respectively. A massive black hole remnant is supported by an independent ringdown analysis. Some properties of GW231123 are subject to large systematic uncertainties, as indicated by differences in inferred parameters between signal models. The primary black hole lies within or above the theorized mass gap where black holes between 60-130 M⊙ should be rare due to pair instability mechanisms, while the secondary spans the gap. The observation of GW231123 therefore suggests the formation of black holes from channels beyond standard stellar collapse, and that intermediate-mass black holes of mass ∼200 M⊙ form through gravitational-wave driven mergers. Figure 7 of the paper showing the inferred masses. The masses are measured to be high, but the exact values depend significantly depending on the waveform model used. These are the most significant systematic uncertainties we have seen so far. New detections are pushing the boundaries of our calculations. Figure 8 of the paper showing the inferred spins. Results again vary between waveform models, but they consistently show high spin magnitudes with some support for misalignment relative to the orbit of the binaries. Screenshot of from the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center showing spectrograms of the signal (which is short) as well as links to download the raw data.
July 14, 2025 at 11:48 PM