A WEEKEND EXPLORING GRAVITATIONAL WAVES WITH EGO AND VIRGO

Sep 23, 2026

Gravitational waves will be sweeping across Italy this coming weekend, thanks to the events, initiatives and shows organised by EGO in various Italian cities, to mark the European Researchers’ Night and other events dedicated to science and the exploration of the cosmos.

On Friday 25 September, EGO and Virgo will take part in Bright Night with a series of activities and experiences suitable for all ages. In Pisa, in Piazza Santa Caterina, visitors will find the ‘Diving into Gravitational Waves’ stand: using virtual reality headsets, participants will be able to explore the universe of gravitational waves. In addition, software developed by Daniel Canton will be presented to the public for the first time; it simulates collisions between black holes and neutron stars, which are the source of the gravitational wave signals detected by the Virgo interferometer. Also in Piazza Santa Caterina, there will be a stand dedicated to younger children, where, through interactive games, they will discover how Virgo works and how scientists manage to isolate gravitational wave signals from background noise. Furthermore, in collaboration with K-Production, children will be able to take part in the ‘Gravitational Wave Tale’: storytelling sessions dedicated to black holes and gravitational waves.

Virgo researchers will also be taking centre stage in Florence, in Piazza Santissima Annunziata, at the National Institute of Physics’ stand, with a number of demonstration models of the interferometer and other activities accessible to visually impaired people.

Also on 25 September, head to Milan for the Open Night at the National Museum of Science and Technology, featuring the show ‘Le Mappe del Cosmo’, produced and curated by EGO, scheduled for 7.45 pm and dedicated to discoveries about the Universe.
The voices of Diana Hobel and Marco Sgarbi, accompanied by illustrations by Gabriele Peddes, will take the audience on a journey to discover the lives of scientists who have changed the way we view the universe.

Meanwhile, the Big Bang Machine van will be in Naples, in Piazza Dante, as part of S.T.R.E.E.T.S. (Science Technology Research for Ethical Engagement Translated in Society).
Just like on a science-fiction space-time vessel, young and old alike will be able to travel back in time and enjoy an immersive experience exploring the most distant phenomena in the Universe: gigantic black holes, mergers of stars denser than any imaginable matter, right back to the very first moments of the Cosmos, where the building blocks of matter were formed.

The events featuring EGO - VIRGO will continue on Saturday and Sunday: on Saturday 26 September in Bari, as part of the “E.S.T. – Ethics, Science and Theatre: Dialogue between Fields of Knowledge” festival, Vincenzo Napolano, EGO’s communications manager, will be a guest at the Kismet Theatre for a talk entitled “How do we imagine the Universe? Cosmic Connections from Ancient Times to Gravitational Waves”, scheduled for 7.30 pm.
The final event of the weekend is scheduled for Sunday 27 September as part of the “Il Giullare della Terra” event in Vicopisano, where visitors will once again be able to embark on a virtual journey back to the origins of the Universe, thanks to the Big Bang Machine, starting at 4.00 pm.

The events organised to mark the European Researchers’ Night form part of the PICO – New Horizons project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, of which EGO is a partner (Grant Agreement No. 101305391).
The activities offered by EGO and Virgo in Tuscany are organised as part of the Bright Night project, funded by the European Union and promoted by the entire research community in Tuscany with the support of the Tuscany Region, as part of Giovanisì, the regional project for youth autonomy.