"Astrophysics of the Future: The Moon as a Lab for Gravitational Waves"
Astronomy for Non-Astronomers
- Date: Dec 4, 2025
- Time: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Nando Patat (ESO, Garching)
- Location: ESO Garching
- Room: Auditorium Eridanus (ESO HQE, Garching)
Abstract
For more than a century, Einstein’s General Relativity has transformed our understanding of the Universe, revealing that space and time together form a dynamic fabric that bends and stretches under the influence of gravity.
In this talk, I will take the audience on a journey through the history and key ideas of this remarkable theory, leading up to one of its most spectacular predictions: gravitational waves.
We will explore how Einstein’s equations foresee the existence of ripples in the fabric of spacetime—waves that travel across the cosmos—and how these elusive signals were first detected thanks to extraordinarily sensitive instruments.
After presenting some striking examples of astrophysical phenomena—such as the mergers of black holes and neutron stars—we will look ahead to the future of gravitational-wave astrophysics with LGWA (Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna), a visionary project that aims to place a gravitational-wave detector on the surface of the Moon. LGWA promises to extend our ability to listen to the cosmos, unlocking realms of knowledge inaccessible from Earth—a bold scientific and technological challenge that marks the next great adventure in our quest to understand the Universe.
For more than a century, Einstein’s General Relativity has transformed our understanding of the Universe, revealing that space and time together form a dynamic fabric that bends and stretches under the influence of gravity.
In this talk, I will take the audience on a journey through the history and key ideas of this remarkable theory, leading up to one of its most spectacular predictions: gravitational waves.
We will explore how Einstein’s equations foresee the existence of ripples in the fabric of spacetime—waves that travel across the cosmos—and how these elusive signals were first detected thanks to extraordinarily sensitive instruments.
After presenting some striking examples of astrophysical phenomena—such as the mergers of black holes and neutron stars—we will look ahead to the future of gravitational-wave astrophysics with LGWA (Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna), a visionary project that aims to place a gravitational-wave detector on the surface of the Moon. LGWA promises to extend our ability to listen to the cosmos, unlocking realms of knowledge inaccessible from Earth—a bold scientific and technological challenge that marks the next great adventure in our quest to understand the Universe.