Chronicle of a global collaboration: the fusion of two neutron stars, a hug of 130 million years
- María José López Pourailly
- Use Cases
August 17, 2017: Scientists from all over the world who study the Universe witness and analyze online and live a historical event that will mark a before and after in the way we understand the study and the development of Astronomy. The news is spread all over the globe on October 17. In our homes and offices, going on the public transport or walking around, we watch on TV, mobile devices and computers the re-creation of a two neutron stars fusion that occurred 130 million years ago in NGC4993, the largest galaxy in the constellation of Hydra. The event was categorized as 'cataclysmic'. The reason for the media and scientific revolution caused by the phenomenon lies in the fact that it was the first of its kind in history to be recorded, seen and listened simultaneously, thanks to telescopes, radio telescopes, gravitational wave detectors and advanced Internet networks - such as RedCLARA and GÉANT, at regional level - that allowed the collaborative work of almost a hundred researchers from all over the world who contributed to the study.