Black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves: from a whisper to a symphony

Abstract: Scientists first detected gravitational waves – ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein – on 14 September 2015. That momentous discovery, a gravitational-wave whisper from two colliding black holes, opened an entirely new window onto the Universe. Marking the tenth anniversary of this breakthrough, Professor Patrick Brady will recount how gravitational-wave astronomy has transformed from a bold experiment into a thriving field, revealing a symphony of signals from merging black holes and neutron stars. Along the way, you'll learn how gravitational waves are generated, what happens at the black hole event horizon, how neutron star collisions are responsible for most of the gold in our Universe, and what mysteries gravitational-wave astronomy may soon solve.