Breaking news: the Event Horizon Telescope team unveils strong magnetic fields spiraling at the edge of Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*. This new image suggests that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes.
#OurBlackHole
#SgrABlackHole
Scientists have obtained the first image of a black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87. The image shows a bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity around a black hole that is 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun
We finally have the first look at our Milky Way black hole, Sagittarius A*. It’s the dawn of a new era of black hole physics. Credit: EHT Collaboration.
#OurBlackHole
#SgrABlackHole
Link:
For the first time, EHT scientists have mapped the magnetic fields around a black hole using polarized light waves. With this breakthrough, we have taken a crucial step in solving one of astronomy’s greatest mysteries.
Credit: EHT Collaboration
#MagnetizedBlackHole
#EHTBlackHole
It was a pleasure for us scientists to work with the animator Nicolle R. Fuller and the
@NSF
on this beautiful
#NSFfunded
animation showing how paths of photons are bent around the black hole to form a circular ring outlining the
#realblackhole
in M87.
@BlackHoleCam
#EHTblackhole
Happy Black Hole Friday! This simulated black hole movie shows what scientists think an accreting supermassive black hole system would look like up close. Retweet at 100% discount this Black Hole Friday!
Simulation by A. Chael, M. Wielgus, D. Palumbo, M. Johnson and K. Bouman
Scientists have obtained the first image of a black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87. The image shows a bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity around a black hole that is 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun
We, at the Event Horizon Telescope, will be revealing groundbreaking Milky Way results on May 12, across multiple press conferences worldwide including at the
@NSF
and
@ESO
Read more here:
Scientists have obtained the first image of a black hole, using Event Horizon Telescope observations of the center of the galaxy M87. The image shows a bright ring formed as light bends in the intense gravity around a black hole that is 6.5 billion times more massive than the Sun
There is a lot of excitement in the air about the announcement of the first results from the Event Horizon Telescope! We hope many of you will join us for the press events virtually via live online streams. 📺 Here is a compact recap of available streaming links:
So what does our spiral pattern tell us about the magnetic fields around Sagittarius A*? The field is actually strong and ordered!
cr. Crazybridge Studios, EHT Collaboration
#MagneticBlackHole
#EHTblackhole
🔗
In just under 12 hours, at 13:00 UT (9 AM Eastern Time), we will be revealing groundbreaking results! Choose between our main streams:
1) American stream: .
2) European stream: .
3) Japanese stream: . …
It’s
#BlackHoleWeek
! The journey to capture an image of a black hole is not an easy one. Learn about the challenges the Event Horizon Telescope has overcome to see the unseeable! 👀📡🌎📡
#EventHorizonTelescope
The EHT has released new images of the M87* black hole from observations taken in April 2018. The brightness peak of the ring has shifted by about 30º compared to 2017, consistent with our theoretical understanding of variability from turbulent material around black holes.
While they may look similar, the two black holes imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope are actually very different in size and distance!
#OurBlackHole
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser, EHT Collaboration
One of the most common FAQs we get at the
#EventHorizonTelescope
— How can you see a black hole if it's black? 🧐 This animation shows how our M87 black hole image is formed from light rays bent by the black hole’s immense gravity!
#BlackHoleWeek
〰️〰️
New results: EHT scientists have imaged the distant blazar J1924-2914, revealing previously unseen details of the source structure. A blazar is a supermassive black hole ejecting a powerful jet along our line of sight that can outshine its entire galaxy! 📡🌎📡
The EHT produced a truly immense library of black hole simulations to study the black hole at the galactic center. Check out a few of them here!
#OurBlackHole
#Science
Credit: Ben Prather, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, EHT Theory Working Group
Simulations that look almost identical can look vastly different with polarized light. Learn more in this video!
cr. CrazyBridge Studios, EHT Collaboration
🔗
The EHT polarization images of M87* and Sagittarius A* indicate that these beasts have similar magnetic field structures. This suggests that the processes that govern how a black hole feeds and launches a jet may be universal features!
cr. EHT Collaboration
The EHT will be announcing groundbreaking results Thursday May 12th, 13:00 UT. Tune in to one of our live streams! Choose a stream here:
#EventHorizonTelescope
Have you heard that something is brewing on April 10th? It's no joke! See this media advisory from the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration via
@NSF
and
@ESO
here: &
#EHTblackhole
#MondayMorning
Composite multi-wavelength image showing how the M87 system looked, across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, during the Event Horizon Telescope’s April 2017 campaign.
Of the 11 observatories planned for the Event Horizon Telescope array, 8 participated in
#EHTblackhole
observations in 2017. Here is a collage (with older photos!) from the
#NSFfunded
animation made at
@saoastro
, to be found on our Youtube channel -- .
The EHT has revealed the strong magnetic fields of the M87* black hole in a new light! An analysis of light in circular polarization supports earlier findings that the magnetic field near M87* is strong enough to occasionally stop the black hole from swallowing up nearby matter.
With its 4 million solar masses, Sgr A* is much less massive than M87, the 6.5 billion solar mass black hole also imaged by the EHT. Imaging such a small black hole (relatively speaking…) posed a lot of challenges, here’s why!
#BlackHoleWeek
cr.
@CenterForAstro
Let's zoom in all the way to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. Although it's "only" ~26000 light years away, you have to zoom in very far to see it!
#OurBlackHole
#SgrABlackHole
Credit: Sara Issaoun, SAO
📡🌍📡 After a few days of bad luck with the weather across the globe, we are starting our 2023 EHT campaign observing supermassive black holes tonight!
Picture (
@gopastro
): the LMT on the Sierra Negra in Mexico is getting ready.
The EHT observes in radio light, invisible to our eyes. Go on a journey to the heart of the radio Milky Way at increasingly higher frequencies, from the intricate structures of radio filaments and bubbles down to the core, where Sgr A* is lurking
#BlackHoleWeek
cr.
@Radboud_Uni
This inforgraphic shows an artist's depiction of a black hole an its immediate surroundings (from
@ESO
/
@HUBBLE_space
/ M. Kornmesser / N. Bartmann). Find more on
#blackhole
science on the EHT website:
We finally have the first look at our Milky Way black hole, Sagittarius A*. It’s the dawn of a new era of black hole physics. Credit: EHT Collaboration.
#OurBlackHole
#SgrABlackHole
Link:
What exactly is polarization? Learn how light waves have a direction of oscillation that teaches us about magnetic fields near our Sagittarius A* black hole!
cr. Fiks Film, EHT Collaboration
🔗
Joitn the Reddit Ask Science “Ask Me Anything (AMA)” thread following up on today's press events. Moderated by
@ESO
, at 20:00 CEST some of the EHT scientists behind the new results will begin answering your questions on Reddit:
Did you know the EHT partners with many telescopes on the ground and in space to get a full view of the M87 black hole and its environment? The first images of M87* have taught us a lot about how black holes feed and power jets!
#BlackHoleWeek
#EventHorizonTelescope
Cr: EHT MWG
The
#EHTblackhole
results presented last week came in 6 papers published by
@AAS_Publishing
(
#ApJL
). All 6 papers are freely accessible here: . EHT team member Daniel Palumbo summarized the main themes covered in all 6 papers in this
@astrobites
article:
This simulation shows a black hole image in total intensity (or ‘normal’ light, left) and in circular polarization (right). The blue and red colors of the circular polarization movie correspond to light rotating clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively. Credit: Angelo Ricarte
One of the EHT’s lesser-known targets is OJ 287. Its periodic flares make it a compelling candidate for a supermassive black hole BINARY–two supermassive black holes orbiting one another!
Artist’s conception (not to scale) by Andres Rojas.
#BlackHoleWeek
An international team anchored by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has now imaged the heart of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A in unprecedented detail in a now released Nature Astronomy paper: Janssen et al. (EHTC) (2021) DOI: 10.1038/s41550-021-01417-w
One of the most common FAQs we get at the
#EventHorizonTelescope
— How can you see a black hole if it's black? 🧐 This animation shows how our M87 black hole image is formed from light rays bent by the black hole’s immense gravity!
#BlackHoleWeek
〰️〰️
A massive jet springs from the core of the galaxy M87. This jet hurls particles and energy away from the galaxy’s central black hole at breathtaking speeds. Some of these jets grow so long that they eclipse the size of their own galaxy!
Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Goddi et al.
A year ago on this day, we revealed the first image of polarization structure on the edge of a black hole. The spiral pattern of the polarized light around M87* tells us about the magnetic fields that help feed the black hole and generate its powerful relativistic jet
#OTD
"The Edge of All We Know," a documentary starring Event Horizon Telescope Founding Director Shep Doeleman and directed by Harvard Philosophy Professor Peter Galison was released this weekend on Netflix! The film is currently ranked
#8
in Movies. Congrats to everyone in the film!
Can you spot the astronomers?
Here, two EHT team members pose next to the Submillimeter Telescope, a 10-meter dish perched atop Mount Graham in Arizona.
#WomenInSTEM
#BlackHoleWeek
📸
@SaraIssaoun
Ask about our new black hole photo! The next event starts in just under an hour!
1) r/AskScience Ask Me Anything 17:30 UTC (1:30 PM Eastern Time):
2) CfA Q&A 19:00 UTC (3 PM Eastern Time):
#OurBlackHole
Tonight we will start the EHT 2022 observing campaign, targeting our favorite black holes with 11 stations around the world! 📡🌍📡
Image compilation by Thalia Traianou.
#EHT2022
To take an image 📸 of a black hole, you need to have a telescope as large as the Earth! To do this, we join together telescopes from all over the globe into one massive telescope array 📡🌎📡
#EventHorizonTelescope
#BlackHoleWeek
Composite by K. Johnson
The first black hole ever photographed lives in this galaxy, Messier 87!
Jets like the blue one shown here launch from center of galaxies. They are crucial for regulating galactic star formation.
Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team
#BlackHoleWeek
#astronomy
Scientists use ~1 millimeter radio waves, which are beyond the scope of human eyesight, to peer through the blazing-hot cloud that surrounds black holes.
Credit: Chi-kwan Chan/University of Arizona.
#space
#innovation
With the one-year anniversary of
#EHTblackhole
around the corner, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration has some interesting new results to share! Something is lurking in the heart of quasar 3C 279... Check what it is on our official website:
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA,
@almaobs
) / Cerro Chajnantor, Chile @ 5000 m / array of fifty-four 12-m and twelve 7-m diameter dishes / partnership between Europe (
@ESO
), North America (
@TheNRAO
), East Asia (
@prcnaoj_en
) and Chile / image credit: C. Padilla
Did you know: At its peak, manually moving the EHT hard drives may have been the fastest data transfer ever?
Each bank of hard drives holds 64 terabytes of raw data. Altogether, that’s as much data as ~40000 lifetimes worth of selfies! Credit: MIT Haystack
#BlackHoleWeek
Today, our Milky Way black hole Sgr A* gets the spotlight on
#BlackHoleWeek
! We just wrapped up our 2023 observing campaign, in which we observed Sgr A* simultaneously with
@NASAWebb
,
@chandraxray
, and other partners, as it flares across the electromagnetic spectrum.
This ambitious crossover shows what the Event Horizon Telescope would look like if all of its radio dishes from around the world were in one place.
#OurBlackHole
#EventHorizonTelescope
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser et al.
Across the globe, newspapers touted the scientific achievement of capturing the first image of a black hole. Over four billion people are estimated to have seen this historic image!
Image Credit: Eduardo Ros.
#news
#ScienceIsAwesome
The latest test of general relativity in the strong gravitational field regime near black holes (Psaltis et al. 2020) constrains deviations from GR by a factor of 500 better than historical constraints!
Image Credit:
Dimitrios Psaltis and Raquel Fraga-Encinas
[Part 1] In just over one hour, at 13:00 UTC, tune in to the live stream of our groundbreaking results! Choose between our main streams:
1) American stream: .
2) European stream: .
3) Japanese stream: . …
For the first time, EHT scientists have mapped the magnetic fields around a black hole using polarized light waves. With this breakthrough, we have taken a crucial step in solving one of astronomy’s greatest mysteries.
Credit: EHT Collaboration
#MagnetizedBlackHole
#EHTBlackHole
Though these lights look like stars, they are actually small reflective stickers that help test the alignment of the Large Millimeter Telescope’s dish. If there are any small imperfections in the dish, the pictures might come out blurry or blemished. Credit: D. Sanchez-Arguelles
We are here in Granada, Spain! After 2.5 years, the EHT collaboration is finally meeting again in person, to discuss all things black holes and next big science steps! The meeting kicks off today, in beautiful sunny weather ☀️
#EventHorizonTelescope
Thankfully for us here on Earth, black holes are very far away. You have to zoom in quite a bit in order to see one! Follow us as we zoom in towards the supermassive black hole at the heart of the M87 galaxy 📸
#EventHorizonTelescope
#BlackHoleWeek
#M87blackhole
After two pandemic years, the 2020 Einstein Medal was finally presented to the Event Horizon Telescope at our 2022 EHT Collaboration Meeting in Granada, Spain. Pictured are Spokespersons Shep Doeleman (holding the medal), Heino Falcke (holding the certificate), and the EHTC.
The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration congratulates Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez on the Nobel Prize in Physics! The EHTC researches complementary aspects of Black Holes, and is inspired by today’s announcement to further investigate Galactic Center secrets.
This video with stunning visuals takes you on a wild ride from our radio-telescopes on Earth to Sgr A* in our Galactic Center!
#BlackHoleWeek
cr.
@BHPIRE
@NSF
Join us in congratulating Lia Medeiros, NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, for being on the shortlist for the 2022
@Nature
Inspiring Women in Science award in the scientific achievement category!
ALMA is the largest ground-based telescope in the world, with 66 antennas spanning 16 kilometers. This panorama causes the Milky Way to appear beautifully curved over the state-of-the-art telescope. Credit: P. Horálek/ESO.
#astronomy
#telescope
#milkyway
#cosmos
#space
#stars
Almost three thousand meters above sea level, far away from the light pollution of civilization, the South Pole is the perfect place for EHT astronomy. Image credit: Daniel Michalik / South Pole Telescope.
That's a wrap for
#EHT2022
, the first time with 11 stations! Thank you to all the observers, engineers & telescope staff who worked tirelessly to make these observations possible at our EHT sites & multiwavelength partners! 👏👏👏
Time to ship all the data ✈️
Cr. Thalia Traianou
एक लंबे और ठोस प्रयास के बाद, हम अपनी आकाशगंगा में ब्लैक होल धनु ए * (Sagittarius A*) की पहचान करने में सक्षम थे। यह अभूतपूर्व घटना खगोल भौतिकी की ब्लैक होल शाखा में एक नए युग की शुरूआत करेगी। क्रेडिट: EHT सहयोग।
#OurBlackHole
#SgrABlackHole
The Event Horizon Telescope has taken the closest in image of the jets surrounding the black hole in the galaxy Centaurus A... now available in high resolution on the cover of Nature Astronomy!
Synthetic image of a relativistic jet generated from a HARM simulation (Gammie et al. 2003) imaged by the ray tracing code RAPTOR (Bronzwear et al. 2017).
Image credit: Thomas Bronzwaer
Meet the Greenland Telescope! The team had to remove some snow before the observations ❄️🧹
Adding this station in a remote location helps make our virtual telescope bigger, yielding sharper images!
Pictures by Keichii Asada.
#EHT2022
Mesmerizing set of simulated dynamical models produced by the EHT theory group, shown in the talk given by EHT member Charles F. Gammie (
@Illinois_Alma
) at
@FlatironCCA
. This is only a small subset of simulations calculated for interpretation of the observed
#EHTblackhole
image!
The EHT team produced a library of 60,000 images from simulations in order to interpret the true image of the black hole in M87! So cool!
@FlatironCCA
#EHT
@ehtelescope
Radio interferometry is an art as well as science. This rendition of a supermassive black hole shrouded by gas, dust, stars and molecular clouds reveals some of the challenges associated with imaging black holes residing in the centers of galaxies.
Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF
~The LMT looking up in perfect silence at the stars~
One day, the Event Horizon Telescope may use observations like these from telescopes all over the world to produce images of many black holes. Credit: David Sanchez-Arguelles
#stars
#astrophotography
Meet NOEMA, a set of 12 telescope dishes on the Plateau de Bure in France. It can be paired with other telescopes across the world to form baselines, a crucial step to creating a virtual telescope as large as the earth.
Credit: IRAM & DiVertiCimes.
#astronomy
#blackhole
#science
At this workshop, for the first time, the 4 imaging teams showed each other what they’d found. Each team had created a black hole image using a unique method, but if they had been wildly different, it would’ve sent everyone back to the drawing board.
#astronomy
#computerscience
A long exposure of the 12-meter antenna of the Greenland Telescope (GLT), situated 750 mi within the Arctic Circle. Since 2019, the GLT has been instrumental in enhancing the global coverage of the EHT.
You can read more about the GLT here:
Credit: M. Chen
Each observatory in the EHT array is equipped with an ultra-precise clock that enables the recorded signals to be synchronized later in a supercomputer called
#VLBI
correlator. Misalignments by a tiny fraction of a second could make it impossible to construct a
#blackhole
image!
#TBT
In 2014,
@almaobs
maser team installed one the most precise clocks, allowing the telescope to synchronize data with a worldwide network of radio astronomy facilities, collectively known as
@ehtelescope
, to image the edge of a black hole. Credit: Carlos Padilla (NRAO/AUI/NSF)
It's
#BlackHoleWeek
! Obviously it's our favorite week of the year, we are excited to share lots of fun black hole content about our previous results! Ask your black hole questions below, and we will try to answer some throughout the week! 👇
The latest breakthrough EHT discovery would not have been possible without our dedicated international team. You can see some of our team members here at the first EHT Polarization Workshop, held in Bonn, Germany Jun 2019. Credit: EHT Collaboration.
#MagnetizedBlackHole