16 Oct 2018 — Exactly one year ago the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration announced the detection of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 – the first ever cosmic event viewed in both gravitational waves and light. This remarkable discovery was made by the LIGO and Virgo detectors on 17 August 2017, and the aftermath of the merger was subsequently observed by thousands of astronomers around the world – marking an exciting new dawn for “multi-messenger” astronomy.
You can re-live the excitement of our GW170817 press conference or read more about the binary merger on our GW170817 detection page. And our latest results on the physical properties of neutron stars, from our observations of GW170817, have just been published in Physical Review Letters.
Meanwhile, preparations continue for the start of LIGO’s Third Observing Run, planned for early in 2019, with the promise of many more gravitational wave detections to come. Read more about our exciting “O3” plans.