Black Hole Event Horizon highlights: ‘Science fiction has become science fact,’ say scientists

For some years now, the scientific literature, news media and films such as “Interstellar” and the newly released “High Life” have featured remarkably sophisticated and highly academic computer simulations of black holes. But the real thing looked different, stated the New York Times. For starters, the black holes in movies typically are not surrounded by fiery accretion disks of swirling, doomed matter, as are the black holes in Virgo and Sagittarius.

"Stephen Hawking once said 'If you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up. There’s a way out.' His words could not be more appropriate today. I hope we could be inspired by them to be hopeful about the future. Thanks to the scientists for making us dream today," said Maedos. 

Three years ago, scientists had heard a sound of two much smaller black holes merging to create a gravitational wave, as Albert Einstein predicted, AP stated. The image adds light to that sound.
Scientists used extraordinary sensitive observing system to hear the sounds of the two black holes merging.

According to AP, The black hole depicted in the image is about 6 billion times the mass of our sun and is in a galaxy called M87 that is about 53 million light years from Earth. One light year is 5.9 trillion miles, or 9.5 trillion kilometers.

In fact, Jessica Dempsey, a co-discoverer and deputy director of the East Asian Observatory in Hawaii, said the fiery circle reminded her of the flaming Eye of Sauron from the ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy.

University of Waterloo physicist Avery Broderick, a co-discoverer, declared as AP quoted: ``Science fiction has become science fact.''

The Event Horizon Telescope team built an Earth-sized telescope by linking radio dishes around the world. The project to look for the supermassive black hole started in April 2017.

Shepherd Doeleman shows the first image of a black hole during the press conference in Washington.

(Source: Reuters)

"A great day to celebrate international cooperation," asys Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, ERC president, Michael Kramer, ERC Scientific Council member and Brian Schmidt, Nobel prize winning astronomer discuss the black hole announcement

Moedas quoted Stephen Hawking: 'It is sad that facts are sometimes stranger than fiction.'

"And nowhere it is more true than the black holes," says Moedas

"I am proud of science. Science today is giving a lesson to politicians. It's showing that today we take a picture of what one man dreamt 100 years ago, you need from 40 different countries," says Moedas.

"I am proud of Europe. We have put up around 44 million euros," says Moedas. "Europe has a winning formula. We believe deeply in the freedom of science that the choices in science are not done by politicians."

"The history of science will be divided from the time before the image and the time after the image," Moedas says.

Scientists in Brussels say, "Finally! No more simulations. You are looking for the very first time, at a real black hole."

The scientists behind the discovery of the black hole are Prof Heino Falcke, Prof. Luciano Rezzolla Goethe University Frankfurt and Prof. Michael Kramer Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.

Unlike smaller black holes that come from collapsed stars, supermassive black holes are mysterious in origin. Situated at the center of most galaxies, including ours, they are so dense that nothing, not even light, can escape their gravitational pull, according to AP news. This one's "event horizon" — the point of no return around it, where light and matter begin to fall inexorably into the abyss — is as big as our entire solar system.

Three years ago, scientists using a massive and intricate observing system heard the sound of two much smaller black holes merging to create a gravitational wave, as Albert Einstein predicted. The new image, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and announced around the world in several news conferences, adds light to that sound, AP stated.

The image reveals the black hole at the center of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth, Reuters reported. 

"Findings from black hole research strongly support Einstein's theory of general relativity," scientists say.

"This is a huge day in astrophysics," Reuters quoted US National Science Foundation Director France Córdova. "We're seeing the unseeable."

"Today’s success shows we have a winning formula in Europe: investing in shared research infrastructures, funding high-risk/high-gain research & supporting scientists to follow their dreams. We are open to the world, open to global cooperation & advancing science for humanity," says Moedas speaking at European Commission. 

(Source: Twitter)

Today is a day of historic firsts! For the first time ever we will reveal a real image of a Black Hole to the world. I am proud because European scientists played a decisive role in this discovery, said European Commissioner for Research, Science & Innovation Carlos Moedas. 

"Basically, in the background light the shadow of blackhole can be seen. This is extremely important because although we had a lot of evidence about the existence of blackhole, but 'seeing is believing'," PTI quoted Sudip Bhattacharyya, Associate Professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai.

"If we can directly see that there is something black in the background of light -- that is an incredible thing. That would be the direct proof of blackholes," PTI quoted Bhattacharyya. 

"We have transformed a mathematical concept into a physical object - essential to the scientific process of examining real blackholes" says, Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics Luciano Rezzolla. 

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