"The Last Photon Orbit" – Milky Way's "On Deck" supermassive black hole for EHT



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Posted on 15 Apr 2019

A supermassive black hole

Once completed, the photo of the supermassive black hole of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A * (Sgr A *), is undoubtedly the image of the famous photo "Earthrise" taken by Apollo 8 astronaut, Bill Anders , in December 1968. For Event Horizon Telescope, the team hopes to get some footage of our supermassive black hole soon, "said Shep Doeleman, Director, Event Horizon Telescope, following the publication of the first-ever image of the gigantic black hole of Galaxy M87.

The researchers looked at the M87 below, first of all, because it is a huge elliptical galaxy located 55 million light-years away and which houses a breathtaking supermassive black hole between 3.5 and 7, 2 billion times the mass of the sun. It's a little easier to solve than Sagittarius A * because it's less variable over short periods of time, Doeleman explained.

Galaxy M87

M87, is a huge elliptical galaxy distant 55 million light-years away and housing a breathtaking and supernatural black hole between 3.5 and 7.2 billion times the mass of the sun. At the bottom of this range, M87 would be an impossible target for EHT. At the high end, this may be suitable. Then M87 became a secondary target in the pursuit of Sagittarius A *.

"Pōwehi" – The gargantuan black hole of the M87 galaxy named after the Hawaiian creation song

What we will see when the EHT actually sees Sagittarius A * is an area slightly outside the event horizon itself – a region defined by the location closest to the black hole where a beam of light could orbiter around a circle, called "last point". astrophysicist Janna Levin, professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College, Columbia University and author of the book Black Hole Blues"You could see the light reflected in the back of your head after a round trip. Or, if you turn around fairly quickly, you may see your own face.) Closer than that, all the light falls. "

Sagittarius A * Center of the Milky Way

The M87 EHT image is undeniable – a dark shadow of the size of our solar system, writes Levin, wrapped in a bright and gorgeous spot.

EHT Image

"It will take time to understand the scientific implications," she says, "some of the anthropological impact seems immediate. The EHT light collected from the M87 was directed at us 55 million years ago. Over these centuries, we have emerged on Earth with our myths, differentiated cultures, ideologies, languages ​​and diverse beliefs. Looking at the M87, it reminds me that scientific discoveries transcend these differences. We are all under the same sky, all tied to this pale blue dot, floating in the sparse local territory of the celestial bodies of our solar system, under the warmth of our yellow sun, in a sea of ​​sparse stars, in orbit around a supermassive black hole in the center of our luminous galaxy. "

"The gates of hell, the end of space-time" – Scientists from around the world speak out on the photo of the EHT black hole

Chandra's X-ray image at the top of the page shows the deepest 10 light-years at the center of our galaxy. The image has been smoothed to highlight the X-ray emission of a large cloud of hot gas surrounding the supermassive black hole candidate Sagittarius A * (larger white dot in the center of the image, a little to the left and above the smallest white dot). This gas shines in the X-ray light because it has been heated to a temperature of several degrees by shock waves produced by supernova explosions and perhaps by winds colliding from massive young stars.

The Daily Galaxy via Quanta and The New York Times

Top Image Credit: YouTube.com

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