Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger
Joseph Giaime LIGO/LSU Host by Juhan Frank
On August 17, 2017, three gravitational-wave detectors, many electromagnetic instruments and optical telescopes, saw the merger of a binary neutron star system and its aftermath. These observations and those from numerous follow-up observations, some of which continue to this day, have allowed interpretation of what happened to this system around 130-140 Million years ago. Starting with the gravitational-wave observation by the LIGO /Virgo partners, I will attempt to give an overview of this very exciting birth of a kind of multi-messenger astronomy.