https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101

On August 17, 2017 at 12∶41:04 UTC the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors made their first observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. The signal, GW170817, was detected with a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 32.4 and a false-alarm-rate estimate of less than one per 8.0×104  years. We infer the component masses of the binary to be between 0.86 and 2.26  M⊙, in agreement with masses of known neutron stars. Restricting the component spins to the range inferred in binary neutron stars, we find the component masses to be in the range 1.17–1.60  M⊙, with the total mass of the system 2.74+0.04−0.01M⊙. The source was localized within a sky region of 28  deg2 (90% probability) and had a luminosity distance of 40+8−14  Mpc, the closest and most precisely localized gravitational-wave signal yet. The association with the γ-ray burst GRB 170817A, detected by Fermi-GBM 1.7 s after the coalescence, corroborates the hypothesis of a neutron star merger and provides the first direct evidence of a link between these mergers and short γ-ray bursts. Subsequent identification of transient counterparts across the electromagnetic spectrum in the same location further supports the interpretation of this event as a neutron star merger. This unprecedented joint gravitational and electromagnetic observation provides insight into astrophysics, dense matter, gravitation, and cosmology.

Apologies if some of the formatting didn’t copy/paste well.

esselte said:

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.161101

On August 17, 2017 at 12∶41:04 UTC the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors made their first observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. The signal, GW170817, was detected with a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 32.4 and a false-alarm-rate estimate of less than one per 8.0×104  years. We infer the component masses of the binary to be between 0.86 and 2.26  M⊙, in agreement with masses of known neutron stars. Restricting the component spins to the range inferred in binary neutron stars, we find the component masses to be in the range 1.17–1.60  M⊙, with the total mass of the system 2.74+0.04−0.01M⊙. The source was localized within a sky region of 28  deg2 (90% probability) and had a luminosity distance of 40+8−14  Mpc, the closest and most precisely localized gravitational-wave signal yet. The association with the γ-ray burst GRB 170817A, detected by Fermi-GBM 1.7 s after the coalescence, corroborates the hypothesis of a neutron star merger and provides the first direct evidence of a link between these mergers and short γ-ray bursts. Subsequent identification of transient counterparts across the electromagnetic spectrum in the same location further supports the interpretation of this event as a neutron star merger. This unprecedented joint gravitational and electromagnetic observation provides insight into astrophysics, dense matter, gravitation, and cosmology.

Apologies if some of the formatting didn’t copy/paste well.

Yes it’s quite an achievement.
What they didn’t explain well was the gap in time between the gravity wave detection and the optical wave length observation since gravity waves travel at the same speed as light.
From what I can gather LIGO picked up the actual orgasm while what the radio telescopes picked up was the afterglow some 11 hours later.

After the gravity wave and gamma ray burst detection they had to track down the location of the event before they could conduct the other observations. They had to search an area of about 30 square degrees of sky, which is quite a lot of sky.

I’m reading now that the gamma ray burst detection happened a couple of seconds after the gravity wave detection.

Which means that gravity waves travel at a speed faster than the speed of light!!!

Or, there is a more mundane explanation.

esselte said:

I’m reading now that the gamma ray burst detection happened a couple of seconds after the gravity wave detection.

Which means that gravity waves travel at a speed faster than the speed of light!!!

Or, there is a more mundane explanation.

Well the radio telescopes were alerted to the event by LIGO and they were then set up to scan that sector but they only got to see the afterglow, still pretty good though.

esselte said:

I’m reading now that the gamma ray burst detection happened a couple of seconds after the gravity wave detection.

Which means that gravity waves travel at a speed faster than the speed of light!!!

Or, there is a more mundane explanation.

the gravity wave is emitted first. just as in supernova the neutrinos are detected first because they escape the explosion first because they are impeded by interacting with matter like the photons are.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-17/cyber-attack-almost-costs-team-look-at-colliding-neutron-stars/9055816

more on the topic

Gravitational waves and neutron stars: Why this discovery is huge
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-17/gravitational-waves-and-neutron-stars:-why-this-discovery-is-big/9053756

Colliding neutron stars revealed by gravitational waves and massive fireball
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-10-17/colliding-stars-revealed-by-gravitational-waves-and-light/9053750

esselte said:

After the gravity wave and gamma ray burst detection they had to track down the location of the event before they could conduct the other observations. They had to search an area of about 30 square degrees of sky, which is quite a lot of sky.

That’s a point. You’re right about gamma ray and gravitational wave localisation being poor.

esselte said:

I’m reading now that the gamma ray burst detection happened a couple of seconds after the gravity wave detection.

Which means that gravity waves travel at a speed faster than the speed of light!!!

Or, there is a more mundane explanation.

The gravity wave comes from the spiralling in of the binary system, which occurs before impact. The gamma ray burst comes after impact.

Nice embedded video; well worth watching.

http://spaceref.com/astronomy/finding-gw170817-in-the-sky.html

European Southern Observatory’s press release:

http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1733/

More developments:

https://www.universetoday.com/137629/gw170817-update-surprises-first-gravitational-wave-observed-independently/