Revolutionary imaging of black hole aims to prove they are not ‘evil vacuum cleaners’
Newly appointed Cambridge professor says feat would accelerate scientific knowledge by an order of magnitude
TL;DR
- The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) will film the supermassive black hole in Messier 87.
- The goal is to capture footage of the swirling disc around the event horizon.
- This movie campaign aims to understand black hole rotation speed and jet launching mechanisms.
- Black holes are recognized by scientists for their crucial role in the early universe and galaxy evolution.
- The EHT is a global network of radio telescopes, previously producing the first image of a black hole's shadow.
- The scale of the M87 black hole allows for slow movement, enabling the stitching of snapshots into a movie.
- Measuring spin speed could differentiate between theories of black hole growth (accretion vs. mergers).
- Observations may explain the formation of powerful galactic jets that influence star formation.
- Data processing will occur during the Antarctic summer, implying a delay in public viewing.
- Sera Markoff, a new astronomy professor, hopes to inspire under-represented groups in science.