Virgo is a gravitational-wave detector and laser interferometer, featuring two 3-kilometer-long arms arranged in an L-shape. It is sensitive to gravitational waves in the 10 Hz to 5 kHz frequency band, enabling it to observe astrophysical events such as the coalescence of binary systems of compact objects (neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes). Managed by the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) and involving over 700 scientists from 15 countries, Virgo operates together with LIGO and KAGRA as a network dedicated to observing the Universe via gravitational waves. The LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA (LVK) collaboration handles data analysis (including the low-latency), public alerts, and open data access (after a proprietary period) via the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center (GWOSC).
Main technical characteristics
- Wide frequency band: few Hz to 10 kHz
- Range for binary neutron stars (as of early 2025): 50-55 Mpc
Website: https://www.virgo-gw.eu