Spacetime Symphony: Gravitational Waves From Merging Black Holes

Sep 20, 2016

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In September 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the first gravitational wave signals. The event represents the coalescence of two distinct black holes that were previously in mutual orbit. LIGO’s exciting discovery provides direct evidence of what is arguably the last major unconfirmed prediction of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and has launched the new field of gravitational wave astronomy. Professor Cominsky reported on these recent observations and discussed the merging Black Hole binary system that created these waves. Brief Bio Lynn Cominsky has been on the faculty at Sonoma State University for over 30 years and is Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She is a NASA Fermi Astrophysicist with decades of research experience, and Fermi Press Officer for Education and Public Outreach. She has been a Guest Investigator on many X-ray and Gamma-Ray satellite experiments, analyzing data on Neutron Star binaries and X-ray Bursts. Prof. Cominsky was named SSU’s Outstanding Professor and later named a Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Recent awards include the 2014 Aerospace Awareness award from the Women in Aerospace organization, the 2015 Sally Ride Education Award from the American Astronautical Society, the 2016 Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society and the 2016 Wang Family Excellence Award.

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Welcome to the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers! We are here to help you get the most out of amateur astronomy. You’ll find our club has something fun and interesting for you to do whether you are a beginner or an experienced amateur. Our members are all Bay Area enthusiasts who love the varied aspects of our hobby – public outreach, star viewing trips, scientific lectures, telescope making clinics as well as private members-only dark sky viewing nights and more. The SFAA has been operating since 1952 and proudly continues a long tradition of helping promote the appreciation of the wonders of the night sky within our Bay Area community.

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