Electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave transients

In the near future the ground-based gravitational wave detectors will reach sensitivities that should make it possible for the first time to directly observe gravitational waves. The simultaneous availability of gravitational wave detectors observing together with space and ground-based electromagnetic telescopes will offer a great opportunity to explore the Universe in a new multi-messenger perspective. Promising sources of gravitational waves are the most energetic astrophysical events such as the merger of neutron stars and/or stellar-mass black holes and the core collapse of massive stars. These events are believed to produce electromagnetic transients in the sky, like gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. An overview of the expected electromagnetic counterparts of the gravitational wave sources is presented, focusing on the challenges, opportunities and strategies for starting transient gravitational wave astronomy.