Since astronomy began to be studied until today, there have been numerous advances at a technological and experimental level. This progress has reached such a point that we have already seen the first image of a black hole. The first black hole that has been seen is a dark and detached region of space-time. It is located 55 million light years from our planet in the Messier 87 galaxy.
In this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the first image of a black hole and its characteristics.
First image of a black hole
It must be taken into account that due to the distances at which these black holes are, it is difficult to obtain images and information about them. The first image of a black hole has been obtained in the Messier 87 galaxy and can be seen a dark region as heavy as 7.000 billion suns at a time. It could be said that the difficulty of being able to capture the first image of a black hole is the same as capturing an orange from the surface of the Earth on the surface of the Moon.
The appearance of the first black halogen image is reminiscent of the eye of Sauron. Thanks to the results obtained from this observation, Einstein's theory of general relativity can be confirmed. This is a very great achievement for the human being in which More than 200 scientists from various countries have participated. The existence of black holes has been questioned on some occasions. With today's information technology, this is no longer the case. We can see the direct and indirect effects of black holes on stars, galaxies, and gas clouds. All of these effects are predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. However, given the limitation of technology, one of them has never been seen.
Einstein was right
The result of the successes of these investigations to be able to obtain the first image of a black hole is due not only to these 200 scientists, but to the entire period of analysis and data combination that has taken several years. In addition to the image, 6 scientific articles were presented where everything obtained about the universe that is increasingly known to us was explained.
This image has been so important as it is a confirmation of what was predicted in Einstein's situations. The black hole phenomenon was something that almost Einstein himself was reluctant to accept. However, today it is known thanks to the advancement of science that this is a reality. The first image of a black hole has ushered in a new era of astrophysics in which the validity of Einstein's equations in relation to gravity can be tested.
Sagittarius A * is the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It can be observed by telescopes. Scientists have explained that the information has not yet been resolved to know the dynamics of this black hole. It is thought to be an overly active hole, although more observations and analysis are needed to give correct conclusions.
First image of a black hole thanks to technology
Techniques and technology for observing the universe continue to improve. You can get more details to understand how the universe works. The cosmic origin is the final objective of all the knowledge that one tries to obtain about the universe. It is thanks to technology that the photo of the first black hole has been taken. All the telescopes used collected the waves coming from black holes that have a wavelength of one millimeter. This wavelength is what can pass through the centers of galaxies that are full of dust and gas.
The challenge of being able to obtain the first image of a black hole was enormous given that the objects to be visualized are extremely far away and have a relatively small size. The core of M87 has a diameter of 40.000 billion kilometers and is located 55 light years away. It must be taken into account that it has been a challenge since the observations necessary to prepare the equipment require work shifts of up to 18 hours a day. The most difficult thing has been to analyze all the information collected.
To get an idea of the large amount of information that had to be processed, 5 petabytes of information were captured. This can be compared with the "weight" that all the MP3 songs needed to be playing for 8.000 years without stopping would have.
Characteristics of black holes
These black holes are nothing more than the remains of ancient stars that have ceased to exist. Stars usually have a dense amount of materials and particles and, therefore, a large amount of gravitational force. You just have to see how the Sun is capable of having 8 planets and other stars surrounding it in a continuous way. Thanks to the gravity of the Sun is why the Solar system. The Earth is attracted to it, but it does not mean that we are getting closer and closer to the Sun.
Many stars end their lives as white dwarfs or neutron stars. Black holes are the last phase in the evolution of these stars that were much larger than the Sun. Although the Sun is thought to be large, it is still a medium star (or even small if we compare it with others). . This is how there are stars 10 and 15 times the size of the Sun that, when they cease to exist, form a black hole.
As these giant stars reach the end of their lives, they explode in a huge cataclysm that we know as a supernova. In this explosion, most of the star is dispersed through space and its pieces will wander through space for a long time. Not all of the star explodes and scatters. The other material that remains "cold" is the one that does not melt.
When a star is young, nuclear fusion creates energy and a constant pressure due to gravity with the outside. This pressure and the energy it creates is what keeps it in balance. Gravity is created by the star's own mass. On the other hand, in the inert remains that remain after the supernova there is no force that can resist the attraction of its gravity, so what remains of the star begins to fold back on itself. This is what black holes generate.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how the first image of a black hole has been obtained.