European Southern Observatory (Event Horizon Project team) – picture of Sgr A*

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SUMMARY

The European Southern Observatory announced groundbreaking results from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project on May 12, 2022, showcasing the first image of the supermassive black hole Sgr A*. This image, while not as visually striking as some might have hoped, represents a significant achievement in astrophysics, highlighting the collaborative efforts of hundreds of scientists globally. The announcement emphasizes the unique characteristics of Sgr A*'s accretion disk, which is shaped like a puffed-up doughnut, allowing for a slower accumulation of matter compared to other black holes.

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  • Understanding of astrophysics concepts, particularly black holes and accretion disks.
  • Familiarity with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project and its methodologies.
  • Knowledge of astronomical imaging techniques and data interpretation.
  • Awareness of the role of international collaboration in scientific research.
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  • Research the Event Horizon Telescope's imaging techniques and data collection methods.
  • Explore the implications of black hole accretion disk shapes on astrophysical models.
  • Learn about the latest findings from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its potential collaborations with EHT.
  • Investigate the historical context and significance of the 2019 black hole image announcement.
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Astronomers, astrophysicists, science communicators, and anyone interested in the latest advancements in black hole research and astronomical imaging techniques.

pinball1970
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TL;DR
The results are from the Event Horizon Telescope project which was responsible for producing the first-ever image of a black hole in 2019.
A conference will be streamed about the findings online on 12 May 2022 at 15:00 CEST (13:00 UTC, 9:00 EST), followed by a YouTube event with six astronomers from around the world. Press releases will include "extensive supporting audiovisual material"
This alert regarding an announcement from the European Southern Observatory – announcement 12th May

The results are from the Even Horizon Telescope project which was responsible for producing the first-ever image of a black hole in 2019.

The video of that announcement is in the link. Worth seeing.

It has been an exciting couple of weeks, Hubble images of the oldest star ever imaged, Webb about to start and this project.

https://www.sciencealert.com/astron...ke-a-massive-announcement-about-the-milky-way
 
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Astronomy news on Phys.org
This is the youtube link to the ESO announcement



They use the word "ground breaking!"

Cheers
EDIT: 13.5.22. They have changed the video link from the actual live announcement yesterday (12th May) to a compact explanation. The announcement will be on line somewhere.
 
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I'll be honest, the image was 'similar' not sure what I expected. Perhaps an image like something from 'Interstellar!'
What was great was the description of the collaboration, 100s of scientists country wide, a global effort.
They mentioned this in 2019 too, this is what can be achieved when all the politics is removed. Even more pertinent now. Anyway @mfb has a thread that will discuss the mechanics. I just wanted pretty pictures!
 
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That's a good image.
 
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Sagittarius A-Star said:
That's a good image.
Avatar quality, no doubt.
 
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pinball1970 said:
I just wanted pretty pictures!
When EHT (viewing conditions permitting) and JWST get together, you will see some pretty pictures, I have no doubt of that.
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2021/news-2021-053.html

With s55 at Perihelion to Sag A later this year, it seems like a good time to study some physics. I understand that interaction is of keen interest in certain circles.
 
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She spent a lot of time on this one.
 
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Sam Gregson and Dan Wilkins talk about the image.
 
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  • #10
Oldman too said:
When EHT (viewing conditions permitting) and JWST get together, you will see some pretty pictures
For my avatar, the current image resolution is sufficient.
 
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  • #11
Sagittarius A-Star said:
For my avatar, the current image resolution is sufficient.
Hi, your correct, it's a perfect avatar image,resolution and all. I was just mentioning your user name and the avatar made a very nice complimentary match. My post #6 was a reply to @pinball1970 mentioning that he just wanted pretty pictures.
 
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  • #12
This video describes, how the image of Sgr A* was made:

 
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Interesting info being released already, it seems Sag-A is a nibbler when it comes to it's accretion disk.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01462-z

"Their data show that the accretion disk is shaped more like a puffed-up doughnut than a flat pancake. This fattened shape means that the disk supplies the black hole with scraps of matter at a leisurely pace, which makes it relatively dim compared with other, greedier black holes."
 

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