Astronomy's New Messengers

Explore the cutting-edge world of gravitational wave detection in this 1 hour 34 minute panel discussion from the World Science Festival. Join moderator Marcia Bartusiak and renowned scientists Kip Thorne, Laura Danly, and Rainer Weiss as they delve into the groundbreaking LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) project. Discover how this revolutionary technology aims to capture cosmic whispers of distant celestial events, potentially opening a new window for observing the universe through gravity rather than light. Trace the journey from Einstein's 1916 General Theory of Relativity to the present-day efforts to detect gravitational waves. Learn about the history of gravity, the universal rate of acceleration, and what prompted Einstein to challenge Newton's ideas. Explore fascinating topics such as black hole collisions, binary pulsars, and the concept of measuring the universe's strain. Gain insights into the LIGO detectors, their functionality, and the potential surprises awaiting discovery in this new field of astronomy.

The Sound of the future
Marcia Bartusiak's Introduction
The history of gravity.
Participant Introductions.
How did we get here from the past?
The universal rate of acceleration.
What drew Einstein to rethink Newton's ideas.
What Einstein predicted.
What happens when two black holes collide?
Stumbling on to a binary pulsar
Why do you study something that doesn't exist?
Measuring the strain of the universe.
LIGOS the gravitational tape measure.
When do you hear the gravity wave?
What are the new surprises to look forward to?
What would you expect space time to look like when black holes collide?