Catch-up: An idiot's guide to the black hole that's just been photographed
What happened?
Scientists have revealed the first ever image taken of a black hole. While the black hole itself is invisibly dark, astronomers managed to observe the “point-of-no-return” precipice around its edge – the boundary scientists call the Event Horizon – made up of hot gas, matter and radiation rage in a swirling eddy. The picture was obtained by combining eight radio dishes around the world into one global telescope and shows a thick ring of light surrounding a dark centre.
What actually is a black hole?
A black hole is an enormous amount of matter squeezed into a very small space. Nasa explains it like this: “Think of a star 10 times more massive than the Sun squeezed into a sphere approximately the diameter of New York City.” This results in a gravitational field so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape being sucked in. The one captured on camera is so big it can swallow stars.
Why is this a big deal?
Nothing like this picture has ever been achieved before by scientists, who have previously had to use simulations to create visuals of what one might look like. In 2012 astronomers in the US published images of a black hole 2.7 million light years away – but it was nothing more than a tiny smudge of light.
Dr Sheperd Doeleman, from Harvard University in the US, said: “We have seen what we thought was unseeable. We have seen and taken a picture of a black hole. This is a remarkable achievement. This is the strongest evidence that we have to date of the existence of black holes.”
Read more
What is a black hole? (Evening Standard)
Black hole ‘Event Horizon’ image captured for the first time (PA Ready UK)
How black hole images could change our understanding of the universe (The Independent)
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