LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, is a unique, first-of-its-kind facility for astronomy and physics that will open a huge discovery space unreachable from ground and untapped by any other space mission. LISA offers us the opportunity to study powerful sources that have been predicted and described in great detail by theory but have never been observed because they are “dark” electromagnetically. These include merging massive black holes and non-interacting ultra-compact binary systems, as well as compact objects spiraling into the massive black holes that are believed to exist in the central regions of most normal galaxies.

LISA will provide precise measurements of the key properties of massive black holes – masses, spins, and distances, in many cases better than one percent. The ability to provide precise distance information to its sources makes LISA an especially valuable type of astronomical observatory. But that’s not all: LISA science is new science, so in addition to guaranteed and predicted sources, we also “expect the unexpected” from this uncharted territory.

Learn more

To learn more about LISA and the science behind the mission, check out our pages

• LISA in a nutshell
  

Looking for more info?  Then don't miss our

• LISA on the web

page with useful links to online resources, and find pointers to offline reading material on

• Read more about LISA
  

Contact us

Looking for an interview partner? Wondering whether there's a public talk about LISA near you? Interested in organizing a school visit by a LISA scientist? Go to our

• LISA Contact page
  

and get in touch!