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Astronomers to peer into a black hole for first time (not xrays) in April

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Kimawolf

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http://theconversation.com/astronom...t-time-with-new-event-horizon-telescope-74559

On April 5-14 2017, the team behind the Event Horizon Telescope hopes to test the fundamental theories of black-hole physics by attempting to take the first ever image of a black hole's event horizon (the point at which theory predicts nothing can escape). By connecting a global array of radio telescopes together to form the equivalent of a giant Earth-sized telescope – using a technique known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry and Earth-aperture synthesis – scientists will peer into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy where a black hole that is 4m times more massive than our sun – Sagittarius A* – lurks.

image-20170314-10716-1eoz1nw.jpg



from Nasa website:

sgr_lg.jpg

We have peered into the very center of the galaxy, we ALREADY have a picture of Sag A thanks to some really amazing science. And in April we'll "see" what it really looks like. no more theory, no more "renditions". Man what a time to be alive!

Some info: The Black hole Sag A is larger than our entire solar system, it anchors our entire galaxy. Just let that size sink in for a moment. If you were flying towards it to observe it, and it wasn't "feeding" you'd see a pure black "sphere" just floating in space which was twisting around it. It would be so large you'd probably just see all black as far as you could see. also since its so huge, you could fall into the event horizon and not even know it. Because the larger the black hole, the longer it takes for you to feel the tidal forces, and if its rotating there's a chance you could even avoid the singularity, although once inside no one really knows what would happen other than you'd probably die.

I was watching a PHD doctor talk about it and how it would look nothing like what most people think.
 

eizarus

Banned
This is so phenomenal that I'm sitting here trying to process how it could impact our understanding of the universe. Great time to be alive (in terms of scientific research)
 

Syriel

Member
This is so phenomenal that I'm sitting here trying to process how it could impact our understanding of the universe. Great time to be alive (in terms of scientific research)

It's gonna be like the ending of Star Trek V isn't it?
 

Kimawolf

Member
Heh it whips stars around it faster than anything we can even imagine. FULL STARS at 1% speed of light and faster. Also you can't stay stationary as the Black hole's gravity is SO STRONG it is twisting the very space you're floating in. so you have to go into orbit around it.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Heh it whips stars around it faster than anything we can even imagine. FULL STARS at 1% speed of light and faster. Also you can't stay stationary as the Black hole's gravity is SO STRONG it is twisting the very space you're floating in. so you have to go into orbit around it.

I wouldn't. I would swim away as hard as I could. The human will is stronger than gravy.
 

Got

Banned
Looked up an appropriate "cool beans" image.

This showed up in the search results.

Seemed appropriate.

So,

Cool Beans

superthumb.png
 

Spladam

Member
Misleading title, they're going to take a pic of the event horizon not what's inside
This. We cannot peer "into" a black hole, we can only observe the affects on surrounding space around the even horizon. Everything on the other side cannot be known to us outside of what we can infer from it's affect on surrounding light and matter.

We have been indirectly observing Sagittarius A* (pronounced "A Star") for some 24 years now, we can only do this on the X-Ray, Radio, and near-infra frequency, with VLBI being the most successful, due to the massive amounts of interstellar dust surrounding the super massive black hole 26,000 light years from our sun at our galactic center. We now believe there is another intermediate black hole orbiting Sgr A*.
 
This made me "whoa!" (from the article):

"But by connecting many telescopes, the Event Horizon Telescope will be about to achieve a resolution of 15-20 microarcsecond (0,000015 arcseconds), corresponding to being able to spy a grape at the distance of the moon."
 

KarmaCow

Member
how long do we have before the black hole swallows our milky way?

It's not really consuming the galaxy from within, the Milky Way is several orders of magnitude more massive than the black hole at the center. Consider that even within our solar system that not everything to spiral inwards and the Sun is over 99% of the mass of the entire system.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
This made me "whoa!" (from the article):

"But by connecting many telescopes, the Event Horizon Telescope will be about to achieve a resolution of 15-20 microarcsecond (0,000015 arcseconds), corresponding to being able to spy a grape at the distance of the moon."

To think how delicious that grape will be with the moon cheese. Now all we need is a cloud of chardonnay vapor.
 
Title would seem to imply a naked black hole.
(Of course, a naked black hole would destroy all sorts of other implications).

"Just" viewing the event horizon isn't nearly so attention-grabbing.
Also not necessarily all that interesting (imo).


Misleading title, they're going to take a pic of the event horizon not what's inside

This. We cannot peer "into" a black hole, we can only observe the affects on surrounding space around the even horizon. Everything on the other side cannot be known to us outside of what we can infer from it's affect on surrounding light and matter.

Exactly.
 
Also, for a bit more information:

We have peered into the very center of the galaxy, we ALREADY have a picture of Sag A thanks to some really amazing science. And in April we'll "see" what it really looks like. no more theory, no more "renditions". Man what a time to be alive!

We won't be "peer[ing] into the very center of the galaxy," we'll be peering onto the circumference of a circle whose radius is given by the Schwarzschild radius of Sagittarius A*.

That is, picture there being a ball at the center of the galaxy: We won't be peering into the center of the ball (where the actual center of the galaxy is), but merely the outside edge of the ball. The actual center of the ball is still hidden by the event horizon.
 
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