SAGUARO

Searches After Gravitational Waves Using Arizona Observatories

SAGUARO is an exciting multi-messenger collaboration comprised of researchers at the University of Arizona and Northwestern University. Formed in 2019, we utilize the Catalina Sky Survey Telescope to search for optical counterparts to gravitational wave (GW)-detected mergers. During the third GW observing run, SAGUARO conducted follow-up of 17 compact binary mergers, including those of binary neutron stars (BNS), neutron star–black holes (NSBH), and black hole–mass gap objects. Beginning in December 2022 with the advent of the fourth GW observing run, the 90″ Telescope at Kitt Peak will join CSS in SAGUARO’s hunt for optical counterparts.