The gravitational wave and short gamma-ray burst GW170817/SHB170817A, not your everyday binary neutron star merger

The splendid data, theory and analysis of the gravitational wave GW170817 --the neutron star merger that was also seen across the electromagnetic spectrum as SHB170817A*-- are well known to cosmologists and particle physicists. Some of them are perhaps less familiar with the SHB and with what the GW wave and the SHB imply for each other’s understanding. My intention is to attempt to fill this possible gap in their information.