Cases & Voices

17 de agosto, 2017: los científicos del mundo que estudian el Universo presencian y analizan en línea y en vivo un evento histórico que marcará un antes y un después en la forma de comprender el estudio y desarrollo de la Astronomía. La noticia se difunde en todo el mundo el día 17 de octubre, y en nuestras casas y oficinas, en el transporte público o en las calles, vemos en nuestros televisores, dispositivos móviles y computadoras, la recreación de la fusión de dos estrellas de neutrones ocurrida hace 130 millones de años en NGC 4993, la mayor de las galaxias de la constelación de Hidra. Catalogado como cataclísmico, lo alucinante y el por qué de la revolución mediática y científica de este fenómeno astronómico está en el hecho de ser el primero en la historia que se ha podido registrar, ver y escuchar de forma simultánea gracias a los telescopios, radiotelescopios,detectores de ondas gravitatorias y las redes avanzadas de Internet -como RedCLARA y GÉANT, a nivel regional- que permitieron el trabajo colaborativo de casi un centenar de centros astronómicos, laboratorios y universidades, y más de tres mil investigadores, que desde todas las latitudes del mundo contribuyeron en el magno estudio.

Member and representative of Spain at the Pierre Auger Observatory, and Professor of the Galician Institute of High Energy Physics of the Department of Particle Physics of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Enrique Zas shared with us his experience in the process of observation of the fusion of two neutron stars recorded on Aug. 17, which he referres as an experience that changed the lives of the participating scientists.

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.

En 2017, de las 64 instituciones afiliadas a RENATA, 24 utilizan el VC Espresso, la solución de conferencia en línea para seminarios, reuniones y educación virtual provista por RENATA y RedCLARA que permite la realización de sesiones de trabajo colaborativo entre usuarios localizados en diferentes puntos geográficos.

Borned in Venezuela, graduated in Physics from the University of Los Andes and PhD in Astrophysics from Yale University, Kathy Vivas works as a support astronomer at the Cerro Tololo Inter American Observatory, in La Serena, Chile. And it was from there that Vivas, along with a large team of scientists scattered around the world, participated in the project that resulted in the earliest observations of a ‘kilonova’: the fusion of two neutron stars 130 million years ago in the galaxy NGC4993, constellation of Hydra. We talked with her about the importance of this collaboration and how the work was carried out.

(Author: Galia Rivas Toral, Red CEDIA) Our Computer Security Incident Response Team – CSIRT was recognized by the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams – FIRST, a leading organization in response to security-related incidents.