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LIGO Scientific Collaboration

@ligo.org
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Official account of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. We detect gravitational waves! Email: questions@ligo.org

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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 01/10/2026
Lots of great research was presented at our recent Collaboration meeting. Special congratulations to our poster prize winners! 👨‍🔬 Avanish Kulur Ramamohan (Australian National University) 👨‍💻 Ananya Anandharaman (@uofgravity.bsky.social) 👩‍🏫 Ashika Achuthankutty (University of Szeged/HUN-REN Wigner RCP)
Experiment:
Avanish Kulur Ramamohan from  Australian National University
“Low-Frequency Interferometric Displacement Readout for Opto-Mechanical Newtonian-Noise Detection”
Honorable mention: Debanjan Adhikari
Data analysis:
Ananya Anandharaman from University of Glasgow 
“Adapting the Gravity Spy machine learning classifier with Thunderclaps”
Honorable mentions: Yogita Kumari & Xavier Garcia Sàbat
Theory:
Ashika Achuthankutty from University of Szeged and HUN-REN Wigner RCP
“Modelling neutron stars in scalar-tensor theories”
Honorable mentions: Saurabh Kumar & Anirudh Nemmani 
Thanking our judges: Nancy Aggarwal, Jack Callaghan, Divyajyoti, K G Arun, Prayush Kumar, Rahul Kashyap
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 30/09/2026
Congratulations to collaboration members on winning @rsef-esp.bsky.social prizes José María Ezquiaga Bravo of the Niels Bohr Institute has won the young researcher in theoretical physics award David Keitel and Josep Blai Covas Vidal and of @uib.cat have won the award for best outreach contribution
Universitat de les Illes Balears researchers Josep Blai Covas Vidal and David Keitel holding a copy of Física celebrating the 10th anniversary of the first observation of gravitational waves. David looks very happy, while Josep is more stoic. Credit: A Costa/UIBJose M. Ezquiaga in a dramatic black-and-white portrait. Credit: Jose M. Ezquiaga
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 25/09/2026
The latest issue of the @ligomagazine.bsky.social is now out with all the latest #GravitationalWaves news! Read it for free at ligo.org/wp-content/u... 🔭🧪⚛️🎶
LIGO Magazine Issue 29

A+ bigger beamsplitters: A major upgrade for LIGO's A+ phase, p 18
GWTC-5.0 - the catalogue continues: 161 events added to the collection, p 6
LIGO Virgo KAGRA teamwork: Gravitational-wave autotune, p 8
Sept. 2026 LVK Meeting in Pune: GW research in India, p 11
A decade on... LISA Pathfinder persists in discovery, p 28
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/09/2026
Happy birthday #GW150914! 11 years ago today, we caught our first gravitational wave, and founded a new type of astronomy A decade later, we now have hundreds of observations! 🔭🧪🎂
Classic plot showing GW150914. Filtered data from LIGO Livingston and LIGO Hanford are shown, both show the characteristic signal of a binary black hole. Crucially, data from the two observatories agree, indicating a real signal.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/08/2026
Yesterday's eclipse captured by our collaboration members in Mallorca The 1919 eclipse was famously used as a test of Einstein's general relativity. We now test it using stronger gravitational fields than the Sun's 📷 D Keitel @dkeitel.bsky.social, A Calafat & J-R Merou
Photo of the total solar eclipse showing the corona around the masked Sun. By Alicia CalafatPhoto of the total solar eclipse, showing the Sun over the ocean, and Mallorca's coastal landscape. By David Keitel
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/07/2026
Our next LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA webinar will explain cosmological measurements using our #GWTC5 results (paper arxiv.org/abs/2605.27227) 16 July at 14:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after Register for free wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 🔭 ☄️ ⚛️ 🧪
Webinar

GWTC-5.0: Constraints on the Cosmic Expansion Rate and Modified Gravitational-wave Propagation

16 July 2026 from 14:00 UTC

Background image: An artistic representation of a binary black hole merger by Aurore Simonnet
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/07/2026
Astronomers discover a 'lost world' of black hole mergers: 'It's the astronomical equivalent of uncovering an ancient civilization' www.space.com/astronomy/bl... @robleascijorno.bsky.social reports on our discoveries from #GWTC5 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
An artistic illustration of merging black holes. Inset: Black hole masses in mergers detected in gravitational waves.

Image credit: Robert Lea/LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA/Aaron Geller/Northwestern
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 10/07/2026
Congratulations to our collaboration member Dr Isobel Romero-Shaw on wining the @royalastrosoc.bsky.social 2026 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship! Her lecture is at the University of Bath in November ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre... 🔭
Portrait of Dr Romero-Shaw. She is smiling.Credit: Royal Astronomical Society/Isobel Romero-Shaw
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 08/07/2026
Our next LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA webinar will our latest #GWTC5 catalog (science summary ligo.org/science-summ...) 9 July at 14:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after Register wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Webinar
Overview of GWTC-5.0: Introduction/Method/Results
9 July 2026 from 14:00 UTC
Background image: An artistic representation of a binary black hole merger by Aurore Simonnet
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 07/07/2026
Congratulations to Dr Jane Glanzer, winner of the 2025 LIGO Laboratory Award for Excellence in Detector Characterization and Calibration! Jane is the first winner of the award for both calibration and detector characterization www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/award-e...
Dr Glanzer receiving her Noise Slayer light sabre in her Calibration Wizard hat at the recent LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA meeting in Pisa.

Image credit: Yumeng Xu
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 15/05/2026
"Sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes you need a screwdriver, sometimes you need two black holes many times the mass of the Sun" On our latest results with #GW240925 and #GW250207 www.iflscience.com/this-wasnt-r... by @drcarpineti.bsky.social 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Screenshot of article. It has a headline

“This Wasn't Really Something We Were Expecting To Be Able To Do”: Black Hole Collisions Can Now Be Used To “Autotune” Gravitational Wave Detectors

Below is a graphic of a binary black hole binary sending out gravitational waves
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/05/2026
Special thanks to the team at @uofgravity.bsky.social for translating the #GW240925 & #GW250207 infographics into Glaswegian #Glasgow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Weegia adaption of the GW240925 + GW250207 inforgraphic by Karl Toland

The Glasgow dialect is most distinctiveWeegie astrophysical calbiration infographic adapted by Karl Toland

The Glasgwegian dialect mixes Scots and English with its own local vernacular
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/05/2026
"On the application of astrophysical signals to gravitational-wave detector calibration" — an artistic interpretation of our latest science with #GW240925 and #GW250207 by @asleepywanderer.bsky.social 🔭🧪⚛️🐡
A poster in the style of an old Victorian science book showing depicting how we use astrophysical calibration to tune our detectors. The poster shows binary black holes (the source of our signals), illustrations of the gravitational-wave signals, the laser between our mirrors of our interferometer with a scale bar indicating the precision over which they need calibrating (they are really, really, really precise).
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
These #GW240925 and #GW250207 infographics have been translated into a range of languages by our LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA Collaboration members dcc.ligo.org/LIGO-G260085... 🇪🇸🇩🇪🇬🇷🇮🇳🇮🇹🇯🇵🇵🇱🇵🇹 There are many benefits to being an international collaboration! 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Portuguese infographicHindi infographicGreek inforaphicJapanese infographic
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
Data products for our new discoveries #GW240925 and #GW250207 are available from zenodo.org/records/1860... Explore our results to learn more about our science 🔭🧪⚛️☄️ #OpenData #OpenScience
Screenshot of a Jupyter notebook, showing Python code to reproduce one of the plots from the paper, together with discussion of the results and a link to further reading.

The notebooks are included with the data release
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
Autotuning gravitational-wave detectors using the chirps of the cosmos! ⚫⚫🎶🎛️ Meet #GW240925 and #GW250207, two new, LOUD #GravitationalWave detections that have enabled us to use astrophysical calibration to tune our laser interferometers 🖼️ : @astronerdika.bsky.social, @sbisco.bsky.social 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
The Autotune problem in gravitational waves: understanding astrophysical calibration with music

1. We hear an autotuned recording (detector data) and we want the original voice recording (gravitational wave).
BUT
2. We don’t know the autotune settings (calibration uncertainty).
3. So we use a bunch of trial voice recordings (waveform templates) and apply various autotune settings to them to obtain a set of autotuned recordings.

The best match reveals BOTH the autotune settings AND the original voice recording!

GW240925 and GW250207 Events

GW240925  with component masses of about 9 and 7 solar masses located roughly 1.1 billion light-years away. 

GW250207 masses of about 35 and 30 solar masses located about 600 million light-years away. 

LIGO Livingston and Virgo were online and observing fine, but LIGO Hanford had calibration issues. KAGRA was not observing at the time.The Distorted Recording

Infographic describing gravitational-wave detector calibration. Three panels show:

A compact binary system of two orbiting black holes producing gravitational waves.
A stylized interferometer being stretched and squeezed by passing waves, illustrating calibration and detector response.
A green waveform representing the recorded gravitational-wave signal.

Detectors measure tiny changes in distance, and calibration disentangles the true gravitational-wave signal from distortions introduced by the detector response.More Detectors = Better Localisation

Infographic explaining how adding more gravitational-wave detectors improves sky localisation. On the left, two detectors (Livingston + Virgo) localise a source to a large ring-shaped region on the sky. On the right, adding Hanford creates overlapping rings from different detector pairs (H+L, H+V, L+V), shrinking the possible source location to a much smaller region. 

Astrophysical calibration was needed to use Hanford data
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
Not accounting for calibration errors can give incorrect results #GW250207 allows for precise tests of the ringdown of the final black hole. The results agree with predictions when accounting for calibration uncertainty, but neglecting them gives biased results 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Comparison of analyses of the ringdown of GW250207. The plot shows the frequency and damping time of the ringdown signal.

If results agree with our theoretical models of black holes, the contours should overlap with the black curve. The green contour does: it includes calibration uncertainty correctly. Yellow is just consistent: it does not include calibration uncertainty. The blue and red contours do not include calibration uncertainty either. The blue ones are consistent: they only use Livingston data, where there is no big calibration issue. The red contours are not at all consistent: they use Hanford data, where there was a calibration issue.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
Our detectors are usually well calibrated. There was an unusual issue for Hanford cat the time of #GW240925 Here is a comparison of the miscalibration to recalibrated data after fixing the issue. Some frequencies are more problematic than others 🎬: E Todd @uofgravity.bsky.social 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
Astrophysical calibration enables us to analyze data we couldn't otherwise With the inclusion of LIGO Hanford data, #GW250207 is the second loudest ever Using data from all three detectors makes a big difference to localizing the source 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Sky localisation of GW240925 (left) and GW250207 (right). The pink areas are obtained using data from the LIGO Livingston and Virgo detectors. Using the astrophysically-calibrated LIGO Hanford data, the possible source location shifts and shrinks to the purple and green areas. The grey bands show the measured time delays for each of the detector pairs. Much of the localization information comes from timing,
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
In a new paper out today, we explain how we have used #GW240925 and #GW250207 for astrophysical calibration of our detectors Using the characteristic chirp of a gravitational-wave signal, we can check that our detectors are in tune 🎶 📄 arxiv.org/abs/2605.11703 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
The probable shape of the inferred Hanford calibration error in terms of its amplitude and phase as a function of frequency. The larger the shaded region for a certain frequency, the larger our uncertainty as to what exactly the calibration error is there. The plots for GW240925 on the left show in green the results from the astrophysical calibration on the initial data, and in orange the quantified error using extra information measured in the detector (referred to as the ‘Detector Calibration’). We can see that the green-shaded region encapsulates the orange, which means we are successfully inferring the shape of the calibration error! On the right, we have the GW250207 results with only the green-shaded region as there was no extra detector information to cross-check these results with.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/05/2026
Our latest discoveries—two of the loudest gravitational-wave signals ever: #GW240925 and #GW250207 Using these signals, and our understanding of binary black holes, we can verify that our detectors are correctly calibrated ligo.org/science-summ... 🧪⚛️☄️🔭
The gravitational-wave events GW240924 (top row) and GW250207 (bottom row) as observed by the LIGO Hanford (left column), LIGO Livingston (middle column), and Virgo (right column) observatories. The plots, called spectrograms, show the power spectrum (energy at different frequencies) as a function of time. The signals can be seen as the increase in energy over time (in seconds) and at specific frequencies (in hertz), represented by green and yellow bands. Their shape follows the characteristic chirp pattern produced by gravitational-wave signals. The thickness and brightness of GW250207 shows just how loud it was!
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 24/03/2026
Our next LIGO Virgo KAGRA webinar will discuss tests of general relativity with #GWTC4 (papers arxiv.org/abs/2603.19019 arxiv.org/abs/2603.19020 arxiv.org/abs/2603.19021). 26 March at 13:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after Register for free wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 🔭 ☄️ ⚛️ 🧪
Webinar
GWTC-4.0: Tests of General Relativity
26 March 2026 from 13:00 UTC
Background image: An artistic representation of a binary black hole merger by Aurore Simonnet
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/03/2026
A boom in gravitational waves leaves scientists with more questions than answers: @sciam.bsky.social reports how we still have much to discover after #GWTC4 www.scientificamerican.com/article/what... by @krcallaway.bsky.social 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
The origins of gravitational waves. An illustration showing how a coalescing binary produces a signal. First a long inspiral, then an intense merger, finally a decaying ringdown. By Lucy Reading-Ikkanda
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 18/02/2026
Our next LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA webinar will introduce the analysis methods used for our #GWTC4 results (paper arxiv.org/abs/2508.18081) 19 February at 15:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after Register for free wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 🔭 ☄️ ⚛️ 🧪
Webinar

GWTC-4.0: Methods for Identifying and Characterizing Gravitational-wave Transients

19 February 2026 from 15:00 UTC

Background image: An artistic representation of a binary black hole merger by Aurore Simonnet
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 14/02/2026
Happy Valentine's Day to all gravitational-wave fans, and especially @egovirgo.bsky.social and KAGRA 💞💗💓
I Heart gravitational waves + you. Happy Valentine's Day! The heart outline is part of a plot showing the chirp of GW150914.

Credit: Zane Zocher, LIGO Hanford. Pictures of LIGO Hanford, KAGRA, LIGO Livingston and Virgo, with the caption "We'll be your Valentine.... just send us a signal". There is a plot of data from GW150914 before signal, because we really love a gravitational wave signal.Two hearts inspiralling together, like a binary merger, over a space-themed background. The caption reads "You spin my heart right round, right round."

Credit: Zane Zocher, LIGO Hanford. Artistic representation of a black hole, with an astronaut in a heart. The caption reads "You must be approaching the event horizon... because time seems to stop when I look at you."

Credit: Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 11/02/2026
10 years ago today, our discovery paper was published in Physical Review Letters doi.org/10.1103/Phys... It has gone on to be highly cited. But it has also had an impact outside of academia—its @altmetric.com is in the top 1000 aps.altmetric.com/details/5333... #GW10Years #OTD #OpenAccess 🔭⚛️🧪
The cover of Physical Review Letters Volume 116, Number 6 featuring a cover image representing our paper: a diagram of a binary black hole coalescence over the data from our two observatories.Altmetric score in context for the paper:

#972 of 31,708,647 outputs
#1 of 48,869 outputs from Physical Review Letters
#4 of 437,630 outputs of a similar age
#1 of 574 outputs of a similar age from Physical Review Letters
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 11/02/2026
The Trieste gravitational wave group celebrated the 10th anniversary of our first gravitational wave detection, #GW150914, with a public lecture and themed cakes! 🖼️: L Smith 🧵🎂 #GW10Years
A photo showing 4 cakes, decorated with the theme of gravitational waves: two cakes depict a gravitational wave black hole merger, one cake depicts a celebrating GW150914 black hole (wearing a party hat!), and one writes "10 anni di onde gravitazionali" - 10 years of gravitational waves. A photo showing the scientists within the Trieste gravitational wave group, with the celebratory cakes.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 11/02/2026
What has happened in the 10 years since #GW150914? @space.com picks their top 10 discoveries. What are yours? www.space.com/astronomy/li... by @robleascijorno.bsky.social #GW10Years 🔭 ⚛️ 🧪
Article screenshot:

LIGO Legacy: 10 incredible gravitational wave breakthroughs to celebrate observatory's landmark 2015 find

By Robert Lea published September 14, 2025
A lot has happened in gravitational-wave astronomy over the past decade.

An illustration of binary black holes ringing space-time with gravitational waves (Image credit: LIGO/T. Pyle)
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 11/02/2026
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day 11 February 2016 "LIGO Detects Gravitational Waves from Merging Black Holes" apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap16021... A beautiful artistic interpretation of our first discovery 10 years ago today #GW10Years #OTD 🔭🧪🐚
LIGO Detects Gravitational Waves from Merging Black Holes

Illustration Credit: LIGO, NSF, Aurore Simonnet (Sonoma State U.)

Explanation: Gravitational radiation has been directly detected. The first-ever detection was made by both facilities of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana simultaneously last September. After numerous consistency checks, the resulting 5-sigma discovery was published today. The measured gravitational waves match those expected from two large black holes merging after a death spiral in a distant galaxy, with the resulting new black hole momentarily vibrating in a rapid ringdown. A phenomenon predicted by Einstein, the historic discovery confirms a cornerstone of humanity's understanding of gravity and basic physics. It is also the most direct detection of black holes ever. The featured illustration depicts the two merging black holes with the signal strength of the two detectors over 0.3 seconds superimposed across the bottom. Expected future detections by Advanced LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors may not only confirm the spectacular nature of this measurement but hold tremendous promise of giving humanity a new way to see and explore our universe.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 09/02/2026
Our next LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA webinar will introduce our latest #GWTC4 detections and discoveries (paper arxiv.org/abs/2508.18082) Register for free wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 12 February at 15:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after 🔭☄️⚛️🧪
Webinar

GWTC-4.0: Updating the Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog with Observations from the First Part of the Fourth LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Observing Run

12 February 2026 from 15:00 UTC

Background image: An artistic representation of a binary black hole merger by Aurore Simonnet
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/01/2026
To check which Fig. 6 you are referring to? The one in the paper linked is on spin distributions. The measured spins for the individual systems will change with priors. The priors chosen for the paper are agnostic: this means the results can be reweighted to your prior of choice.
Fig. 6 of GWTC-4.0 paper. Spin disks for a selection of new detections. This show the probability distributions for spin magnitude and orientation for a few of the more interesting results.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 13/12/2025
"Taking care of plants is my way to do hands-on science every day and remember that science is actually part of the real world, it doesn't just exist on your computer." Find out more about Amanda at #HumansOfLIGO: humansofligo.blogspot.com/2025/12/aman... 🧪🔭
A headshot of Amanda smiling in front of a wood panelled wall. Amanda has long dark curly hair with pink highlights, light skin, and is wearing a white blouse with black flowers on it.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 01/12/2025
The 2025 winner of the LIGO Laboratory Award for Excellence in Detector Characterization & Calibration is Dr. Jane Glanzer in recognizition of critical and timely contributions to both calibration and detector characterization for the fourth observing run www.ligo.caltech.edu/WA/news/ligo...
Dr. Jane Glanzer smiling.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/11/2025
Our fourth observing run (O4) has seen our detectors perform better than ever before. Together with @egovirgo.bsky.social and KAGRA we have identified more gravitational-wave candidates than in all previous observing runs combined #O4IsHere 🔭⚛️🧪
A cumulative detection plot, including significant candidate events from O4a, O4b, and O4c.

There were a totla of 3 probable canddiates following O1, 11 following O2, 90 following O3, and 218 following O4a. There were 165 significant candidates in O4b and 68 in O4c. The total is almost 400.

From O1 through O4a, the counts refer to the detected gravitational-wave events that are included in the GWTC papers. In contrast, the counts for O4b and O4c refer to candidate events for which a significant low-latency alert was issued and that were not subsequently retracted.

The O4c data collection period is divided into two segments: January 28 April 1, 2025 and June 11 November 18, 2025. These segments are distinguished in the figure by different fill colors: the first is represented in dark blue, and the second in light blue. The intervening gap is omitted from the figure.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/11/2025
Our Rapid Response Teams celebrate the end of our fourth observing run. Well done everyone! www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo202... O4 was a success thanks to lots of hard work from across the world. 🔭⚛️🧪
In Japan, KAGRA staff gathered in the control room to celebrate the end of O4. This was the first run that KAGRA took science data simultaneously with Virgo and LIGO.Staff at LIGO Livingston Observatory in Louisiana gathered in the control room to say farewell to O4In Italy, Virgo staff gathered in the control room to celebrate the end of O4.Staff at LIGO Hanford Observatory in Washington State gathered in the control room at 8am to celebrate the end of O4. Everyone enjoyed morning coffee and cake.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 12/11/2025
Our next webinar will introduce our latest #GWTC4 release and the associated data (papers arxiv.org/abs/2508.18080 and arxiv.org/abs/2508.18079) Tomorrow at 15:00 UTC, with the recording on YouTube after Free registration wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/webinar/regi... ☄️🔭
GWTC-4.0 Introduction & Open Data Webinar

13 November 2025

Webinar live from 15:00 UTC
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 04/11/2025
Our #GW241011 and #GW241110 discovery paper is now on the arXiv arxiv.org/abs/2510.26931 If you would like to catch up on the highlights, checkout out our Science Summary ligo.org/science-summ... 🔭☄️⚛️🧪
Screenshot of the arXiv page

GW241011 and GW241110: Exploring Binary Formation and Fundamental Physics with Asymmetric, High-Spin Black Hole Coalescence

We report the observation of gravitational waves from two binary black hole coalescences during the fourth observing run of the LIGO--Virgo--KAGRA detector network, GW241011 and GW241110. The sources of these two signals are characterized by rapid and precisely measured primary spins, non-negligible spin--orbit misalignment, and unequal mass ratios between their constituent black holes. These properties are characteristic of binaries in which the more massive object was itself formed from a previous binary black hole merger, and suggest that the sources of GW241011 and GW241110 may have formed in dense stellar environments in which repeated mergers can take place. As the third loudest gravitational-wave event published to date, with a median network signal-to-noise ratio of 36.0, GW241011 furthermore yields stringent constraints on the Kerr nature of black holes, the multipolar structure of gravitational-wave generation, and the existence of ultralight bosons within the mass range 10−13--10−12 eV.

arXiv:2510.26931 [astro-ph.HE]
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 01/11/2025
Data for #GW241011 and #GW241110 are available to analyze from the Gravitaitonal Wave Open Science Center doi.org/10.7935/3drz... doi.org/10.7935/46xh... You can find lots of tutorials there too! gwosc.org/tutorials/ #OpenScience #OpenData 🧪🔭☄️⚛️
The gravitational wave signals: the amplitude of the data over time in a combination of the LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston and Virgo detectors for GW241011 (left; Hanford and Virgo) and GW241110 (right; Hanford and Livingston). The merger time of the events is at time = 0.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 29/10/2025
Our new paper on our LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA discovery of #GW241011 and #GW241110 is now published doi.org/10.3847/2041... These observations can tell us about the astrophysics of binary formation and test fundamental physics #O4IsHere #GW10Years
Plots showing how the new detection compare to our previous observations. The top panel shows all the events from the LVK’s most recently published catalog, GWTC-4.0, and our two new events GW241011 and GW241110 ordered by the primary spin projected in the direction of the spin of the orbital plane — in other words, how aligned the primary black hole’s spin direction is with the binary system’s orbit direction. Values greater than zero means the black hole is aligned with the spin of the orbit, whereas less than zero means the system is anti-aligned. The bottom panel shows the distribution of primary mass (the mass of the larger black hole) in solar masses and the mass ratio of the black hole pair for all events from GWTC-4.0 including our new events.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 29/10/2025
We are pleased to announce our discovery of #GW241011 and #GW241110 Both come from binary black holes where one black hole is much larger than the other. The larger black holes have large spin. Could these black holes have formed in a previous merger? ligo.org/science-summ... #O4IsHere 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
Infographic about GW241011 and GW241110

GW241011's source contained black holes about 13 and 8 times the mass of our Sun. The spin of the bigger black hole is high and bear aligned with the orbit.

GW241110's source contained black holes about 17 and 8 times the mass of our Sun. The spin of the larger black hole is high and near anti-aligned with the orbit.

Credit: Shanika Galaudage/Northwestern University/Adler Planetarium
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 29/09/2025
Count down the top 10 breakthroughs in the 10 years since our first detection with @space.com. Do you agree with their picks? www.space.com/astronomy/li... by @robleascijorno.bsky.social #GW10Years 🔭 ⚛️ 🧪
Screenshot: 1. Proving Einstein right! The first gravitational wave detection.

On Sept. 14, 2015, ripples in space-time washed over Earth that were generated by the merger of two black holes, each with a mass of around 30 times that of the sun. This signal, which would come to be known as GW150914 (GW for "gravitational wave" and the following numbers for the date of measurement), had been traveling to our planet for 1.4 billion years.

GW150914's arrival and detection confirmed a theory that was first proposed a century earlier by arguably history's most famous physicist, Albert Einstein, in his 1915 theory of gravity, general relativity.Screenshot: 10. Proving Einstein ... wrong!?!

The LIGO project operates two detector sites: one near Hanford in eastern Washington, and another near Livingston, Louisiana (shown here). The observatory has four kilometre arms, long concrete tubes surrounded by the greenery of Louisiana. The central building shines white in the middle of the picture. There is LIGO's Science Education Center there is you would like to visit.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 25/09/2025
Yesterday's Astronomy Picture of the Day #APOD featured #GW250114! This artwork imagines the ultimate front-row seat as two black holes spiral together on their way toward producing the strongest gravitational-wave signal we've detected so far apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25092... 🎨A Simonnet 🔭🐚
This artwork imagines the ultimate front-row seat for GW250114, a powerful collision between two black holes observed in gravitational waves by the US National Science Foundation LIGO. It depicts the view from one of the black holes as it spirals toward its cosmic partner.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/09/2025
A (simplified) interferometer layout made from brownies! We think it's safe to eat a few more components, and still give a good idea of how things work 🖼️: D Grass 🧵🎂 #GW10Years
An intricate arrangements of brownies representing the various optical components of the LIGO interferometers. It is surprising complicated. Candles in the shape of 10 are to the side.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/09/2025
Celebrations at @vanderbilt.edu with artistic arrangements of cupcakes. We would like to analyze some of these. For science, of course 🖼️: C Chatterjee 🧵🎂 #GW10Years
Chocolate cupcakes in the shape of a gravitational-wave signal. Is this a binary merger? It looks like it would have a high mass source?Two clusters of chocolate cupcakes, each trailing an arc of vanilla cupcakes (with sprinkles!). An artistic representation of a black hole binary inspiralling.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/09/2025
Two black (hole) forest cakes from Lyon! Real black holes are not as chocolatey We hope that @ehtelescope.bsky.social approve 🖼️: J Degallaix (@egovirgo.bsky.social) 🧵🎂 #GW10Years
A chocolate cake covered with chocolate shavings, decorated a variety of chocolate sphere representing our black hole observations. There are birthday candles in the shape of 1 and 0 (make a wish!)A chocolate cake topped with a EHT-style image of a black hole and "10 Ans GW150914" as well as two chocolate spheres.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 19/09/2025
Last Sunday was the 10th anniversary of our first #GravitationalWave detection! Join us for a thread of celebratory cakes enjoyed by members of our collaboration First, a cake from @ozgrav.bsky.social Looks like plenty to share? 🖼️: J Powell 🧵🎂 #GW10Years
A sheet cake decorated with "Happy 10 Birthday GW150914", confetti, balloons, a binary black hole, and the data from our first detection, as well as the OzGrav logo. It is edged with some creamy frosting.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 16/09/2025
During the recent LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA meeting, the 2024 winner of the LIGO Laboratory Award for Excellence in Detector Characterization and Calibration, Louis Dartez, received his honorary Calibration Wizard hat. Congratulations to Dr. Dartez! www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/award-e...
Louis Dartez receiving his LIGO Calibration Wizard hat at the September 2025 LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA meeting from Jess McIver. The hat is a traditional pointy blue hat, but is covered with images of lasers.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 15/09/2025
Data for #GW250114, like all our detections, are available from our Open Science Center doi.org/10.7935/1g4j... If you would like to know more about our open data, our paper explains: arxiv.org/abs/2508.18079 #OpenScience #OpenData ☄️🔭⚛️
Screenshot of GWOSC page. This includes information on the detection, links to data, spectrogram plots, and parameter estimation results giving source parameters inferred with different waveform models
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 15/09/2025
The New York Times shares celebrations of our 10 year anniversary, and the challenges ahead, with memories of Rai Weiss and our clearest detection #GW250114 www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/s... by Dennis Overbye #GW10Years 🔭 🧪 ⚛️ ☄️
NY Times headline: "Happy Birthday, LIGO. Now Drop Dead. Ten years ago, astronomers made an epic discovery with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Cosmology hasn’t been the same since, and it might not stay that way much longer." Underneath, an artistic representation of two black holes orbiting each other.
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LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 15/09/2025
Congratulations to our collaboration member Sir Jim Hough (@uofgravity.bsky.social) who has been awarded the Baird of Bute Innovation Award, for his contributions to gravitational-wave science www.gla.ac.uk/news/headlin...
Photo of Sir Jim smiling. He is wearing his usual round glasses, and a rather snazzy tie with a print of aeroplanes.
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