What Have We Gained From The Most Recent Black Hole Image Release?
The much-awaited release of the image of one of the cosmic prisons on April 10th, 2019 took the world by a storm when researchers released visual evidence of a super-massive black hole. While black holes do not let anything escape, not even light, the first image did reveal a lot about their shadowy edge. Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope were rejoiced to announce this remarkable achievement when they captured the image of the black hole at the center of M87, a galaxy 55 million light-years away. Here are some things that can be concluded from the image.
Einstein Was Right (Again)!
Each significant astronomical revelation of the last few decades has confirmed Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. It's a thorough clarification of gravity that the former patent clerk thought of in 1915, even before the existence of computers and powerful telescopes.
On Wednesday, Einstein's predictions about the shape and glow of a big black hole were proven to be right, and many astronomers paid homage to the master.
"Today general relativity passed another crucial test," said University of Waterloo astronomer Avery Broderick, a co-discoverer. "The Einstein equations are beautiful. So often in my experience, nature wants to be beautiful.”
It sounds bizarre to continue saying that Einstein was right, however, every time his general relativity theory is confirmed, we kill a cloud of alternative theories, thus gain a better understanding of how to make an even more comprehensive theory of physics and how the universe works, said Ethan Vishniac of Johns Hopkins University.
Gravity Is Really Powerful
The black hole that researchers clicked a photo of is in the center of a galaxy called M87 and it is far more massive than anything in the Milky Way. It’s mass — the chief measurement of a black hole — is 6.5 billion times as much as our sun. The occasion skyline extends about the broadness of our nearby planetary group. In fact, “M87's huge black hole mass makes it really a monster even by super-massive black hole standards" said Sera Markoff, a discovery team member at the University of Amsterdam.
Some black holes inactive, but not this one. It converts nearby gas and matter into energy with 100 times more efficient than the nuclear fusion that powers the stars.
Final Thoughts
While this has been the best achievement since the detection of gravitational waves, scientists are bending over backward to add more telescopes to join the effort and hopefully see an image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of our own galaxy. Till then, stay tuned for more space-related information on The Space Store’s blog section. And if you’re looking for space merchandise, such as a moon pendant necklace or a Mars pendant necklace, order it from our store!