You can help GRANDMA catch a kilonova in O3

Bikeman (Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein)
Bikeman (Heinz-...
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Topic 218117

The GRANDMA [*] telescope network collaboration ( https://grandma.lal.in2p3.fr/ ) has started a website to enable amateur astronomers to participate in EM follow-up campaigns for GW events that are expected to show a kilonova ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilonova ). You would need access to at least a mid-size telescope (say aperture >= 8") equipped with a CCD/CMOS camera.

https://grandma-kilonovacatcher.lal.in2p3.fr/

GRANDMA itself is a world-wide (China, France, Australia) network of robotic research telescopes that will try to find EM counterparts to gravitational wave events in O3, the next science run of the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave observatories (starting very soon in March or April 2019 !)

Please spread the word to any interested amateur astronomers and astronomy clubs that you know, thx!

Clear Skies
Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein (this is in no way related to the Einstein@Home project, I'm wearing my amateur astronomy hat here)

[*] GRANDMA = "Global Rapid Advanced Network Devoted to the Multi-messenger Addicts" ... seriously, I'm not making this up ...

Bikeman (Heinz-Bernd Eggenstein)
Bikeman (Heinz-...
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Joined: 28 Aug 06
Posts: 3522
Credit: 721222285
RAC: 1121065

There is now also an iPhone

There is now also an iPhone App that displays Public GW Event Alerts as they are generated.

(works on iPads as well)

There are test alerts being generated roughly every hour, so you can already get an idea what actual alerts will look like (you need to enable being alerted about those "mock" alerts in the app's configuration dialog.

 

Just search for "Gravitational Wave Events" in the Apple App Store.

Cheers

HB

 

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