LIGO-SEC Facilities

LIGO's Science Education Center consists of a fully equipped auditorium, a classroom, pre-control room area and an exhibit hall with around 50 interactive science exhibits.  In addition, tours can take visitors through the LIGO lab research facility into a modern control room, and outside to see the 4 kilometer (2 1/2 mile) long arms of the interferometer.

LIGO's Exhibit Hall focuses on utilizing hands-on interactives to engage audiences with.  The exhibit hall seeks to relate the complex science going on inside of LIGO with common concepts such as light, gravity and waves.  For example, LIGO's mirrors are pendulums - so LIGO's exhibit hall has exhibits using pendulums.  Inside LIGO's exhibit hall, more complex concepts such as resonance (where waves interact with each other in continuously reinforcing manner come alive).