A University of Mississippi physicist encourages everyone to view a live 24-hour webcast from astronomical observatories around the world Friday and Saturday (April 3-4).
“The celebrations of the International Year of Astronomy are reaching their peak with the live webcasts,” said Marco Cavaglia, assistant professor of physics and astronomy and principal investigator of UM’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory Team. “The LIGO webcast will show the control room of the new enhanced interferometer in Hanford, Washington.”
“Around the World in 80 Telescopes” has been organized by the European Southern Observatory as part of “100 Hours of Astronomy” celebrations to mark the International Year of Astronomy 2009. This unique webcast will visit, by night and by day, some of the most advanced astronomical observatories around the globe.
The webcast airs from 9 a.m. April 3 to 9 a.m. April 4 at http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/ .
Besides LIGO, other gravitational-wave observatories participating include GEO600 in Hanover, Germany; Virgo in Pisa, Italy; AIGO in Gingin, Australia; and TAMA in Tokyo.
During the webcast, on-site researchers at each observatory will explain how they are listening to the universe and introduce viewers to the sophisticated technology needed to measure tiny gravitational wave signals: vacuum tubes, high-powered lasers, mirror suspensions, absorption-free optics, laser stabilization and noise reduction.
“With these giant laser interferometers, researchers monitor the universe and will discover unknown and distant regions,” Cavaglia said. “It will be a great opportunity for the public to see astronomers in action, as we gain unique insights into black holes, neutron stars and the Big Bang.”
For more information about the UM LIGO team, go to http://www.phy.olemiss.edu/GR/ligoteam/ .
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