Black Hole Image

[Togo]

Sometime today NASA will be releasing images of Sagittarius A, the black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. (No Mars bar jokes please). Brilliant science to gather and correlate the info using radio telescopes across the World that were synced with an atomic clock. It has taken 2 years to put the image together and I for one can't wait to see it. The link below contains some useful explanations of why and how it was done, and rather good explanatory videos.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/first-black-hole-image-could-change-everything-we-know-about-the-universe/ar-BBVMH7r?li=BBoPWjQ

[hereIam]

Wow, just WOW !

[Ken4155]

Tsk! Not as impressive as the Black Hole in my bank account after Aintree.

[Khandro]

naomi; It is interesting that you admit you don't understand this phenomenon, and yet you are certain that the universe contains no higher power(s)

[naomi24]

Khandro, we have a very definite picture of something there. Show me a picture of the higher power you refer to and I'll consider that too.

[naomi24]

Khandro, rather than chance derailing this thread, I'm posting a question in R&S. Perhaps you'd care to join me?

[Khandro]

n.//Show me a picture of the higher power you refer to and I'll consider that too.//

You show how me a picture of the inside of a black hole first.

OK I'll look for your thread, but it's time for a beer, which has priority, even in this vast universe.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //You show how me a picture of the inside of a black hole first. //

Why would you need that? It makes no sense....but best you move your suggestion to the thread in R&S. Let us not derail this one.

[jno]

not unlike the eye of Sauron.

[jim360]

// But if we can see light around the black hole, why can't we see light in front of, and therefore obscuring, the black hole? //

Best guess is that this Black hole is rotating, so what you are seeing is a disc. It's therefore similar to asking why planets orbit a star in more or less the same plane, rather than orbiting in random circles. Not an unreasonable question by any means, though!

[Ellipsis]

You could be right Jim. It is described as a halo, after all, which tends to suggest it's 2d rather than 3d.

Another possibility is that the eight telescopes were designed to see "through" the various layers between us and the black hole, including the final layer of gas.

[Togo]

Jim.....genuine question. Would a singularity not produce a dome of influence on the matter around it rather than a 2d flat plane? I am aware that the hypothesis shows plumes of matter/energy being ejected from black holes in most theoretic "diagrams" opposite each other and radii of matter being drawn into the centre in a flat plane. I find this harder to envisage than gravity consuming all, from all directions.

[Togo]

"She who must be obeyed" has just pointed out that BBC4 are showing a programme "How to see a black hole" starting 9pm. No innuendo please. It is giving an insight into the method used to take the images we are now getting.

[Togo]

Just a thought. Would the singularity be spinning incredibly fast? Again at speeds that are almost unimaginable? That could, give the accepted model. Then the question is ……..what produces the spin.

[jim360]

Too tired to answer now, remind me tomorrow night.

[Togo]

No reminders Jim. I am "tired" myself. Haha if you do is good if you don't let's not worry about it. The program on BBC4 was excellent by the way. 1,4,9,16.

[naomi24]

For anyone who is interested 'How to see a Black Hole : The Universe's Greatest Mystery' is repeated at 1.30am Thursday, BBC Four.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00042l4

[Ellipsis]

Thanks, naomi, I have set to record.

[Togo]

Worth a watch Naomi. I caught the last 45minutes and was properly impressed by the men and women doing the graft. Think I need to slip into my own "space travel" for the night. Tired....gardening in the sunshine all afternoon.

[naomi24]

Me too. v_e mentioned it earlier.

[naomi24]

Togo, I'll watch it tomorrow. Something we know practically nothing about and so much yet to be discovered. Fascinating.