Astronomers Have Revealed a Black Hole's Photon Ring for the First Time - by BrianKoberlein
Light is passing near the black hole in all sorts of directions, but from our perspective, we can only see the light that is focused toward us. Any beam of light that loops around the black hole and heads our way, we should be able to see. It turns out that the black hole can act as a really strong lens. Light can pass extremely close to the black hole, and get focused directly toward us. So what we should see is a thin circle of light known as the photon ring.
When a black hole is surrounded by hot gas, light can be focused by gravity to create a shadow of the black hole. Credit: Nicolle R. Fuller/NSF So why doesn’t the EHT image show the photon ring? Unfortunately, the space between us and the black hole isn’t completely empty. There is still a surrounding region of cold gas, which the light has to pass through to reach us. Some of the light scatters along the way, making the image more blurry than we’d like. This is where the new study comes in.
The diffuse glow of the EHT image tells us not only about the black hole but also about the diffuse gas surrounding the black hole. The team noted that there are essentially two images within the EHT data. One is that of the photon ring itself, and the other is the blurry glow of the surrounding region. Using new imaging algorithms, the team was able to separate the two, revealing the black hole’s photon ring.
It’s a great example of the power of analyzing data in new ways. Modern astronomical observations gather so much data that there is often much more information than we might suspect. As we learn how to process data more effectively, we can reveal layers hidden under the surface.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Event Horizon Gets Better With AgePaul W.S. Anderson made a gruesome sci-fi film with mostly practical effects. 25 years later, he knows it looks terrific. He spoke with BilgeEbiri about the endurance of 'Event Horizon'
Lire la suite »
Here's the Largest Image JWST Has Taken So FarA team of scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have just released the largest image taken by the telescope so far. The image is a mosaic of 690 individual frames taken with the telescope’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and it covers an area of sky about eight times as large as JWST’s First Deep … Continue reading 'Here’s the Largest Image JWST Has Taken So Far'
Lire la suite »
Tokyo Film Festival Adds Venues as a Full-Scale, In-Person EventThe Tokyo International Film Festival is to add new venues at this year’s event. It will be the festival’s first-full-scale edition since the COVID pandemic. The festival relocated to the Hib…
Lire la suite »
Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends Glow Webs Glow EventTo celebrate the second season of 'Marvel's Spidey and his Amazing Friends', Disney Junior hosted an interactive Glow Webs Glow event in LA and NY.
Lire la suite »
Man Catches Monkeypox at ‘Crowded Outdoor Event,’ Heightening Concerns About Outdoor TransmissionMan Catches Monkeypox After Dancing at ‘Crowded Outdoor Event,’ Says CDC
Lire la suite »