Free Astronomy Magazine July-August 2023

18 JULY-AUGUST 2023 ASTRO PUBLISHING Some cataclysmic events in the Uni- verse, such as the collision of black holes or neutron stars, create gravi- tational waves, ripples in the struc- ture of time and space. Obser- vatories like the Laser Interferome- ter Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo Interferometer are designed to detect these ripples. But they cannot pinpoint their origin very accurately nor see the fleeting light that results from the collisions between neutron stars and black holes. BlackGEM is dedicated to quickly scanning large areas of the sky to precisely hunt down gravita- tional-wave sources using visible light. “With BlackGEM we aim to BlackGEM telescopes begin hunt for gravitational-wave sources by ESO − Barbara Ferreira T he BlackGEM array, consisting of three new telescopes lo- cated at ESO’s La Silla Obser- vatory, has begun operations. The telescopes will scan the southern sky to hunt down the cosmic events that produce gravitational waves, such as the mergers of neutron stars and black holes.

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