A team of astronomers will soon release the first direct image of a black hole and its surroundings. The black core attracts a high amount of hot gas and burning plasma. The researchers planned to record the picture with the help of the Event Horizon Telescope, a robust network of eight radio telescopes which are spread around the world.
Now, we might finally have that image. Today, April 10th, European astronomers would reveal the first real pic of a black hole. We announced you about this groundbreaking black hole discovery last week, and, now, that day has come, so remember to watch the live feed at the end of this article starting with 15:00 CEST (9:00 ET).
The enigmas posed by black holes
The existence of black holes has fascinated researchers for decades. In most cases, an average citizen will describe a black hole as the mass of darkness and they wouldn’t be wrong. As this mass absorbs material, it will generate an accretion disk which becomes so hot that it will start to emit light. In recent years, some astronomers tried to learn more about the phenomenon.
The LIGO gravitational wave detectors registered the impact between black holes, a feat which was recorded in September 2015. The information recovered through a variety of means, including X-rays, light and radio waves, has guided researchers towards compact objects, which are known to be black holes, even if they are not visible to the naked eye.
Event Horizon Telescope team to reveal the first image of a black hole today
In the center of a black hole, you can find something which is known under the name of singularity. This singularity is a tremendous amount of mass which has been shrunk down to the point that is incredibly small. At a particular distance from the singularity, the escape velocity will fall below the speed of light. The phenomenon is known as the event horizon.
It is known that the event horizon is not a barrier per se since you wouldn’t be able to stand on it. Object found inside of it isn’t able to escape since it would need infinite energy. It is thought that objects found on the other sides could escape at some point. The image will be a surprise for everyone since the researchers aren’t sure how the black hole looks like.
Brad is a former Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, is an award-winning travel, culture, and parenting writer. His writing has appeared in many of the Canada’s most respected and credible publications, including the Toronto Star, CBC News and on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine. A meticulous researcher who’s not afraid to be controversial, he is nationally known as a journalist who opens people’s eyes to the realities behind accepted practices in the care of children. Brad is a contributing journalist to