We’ve seen the first-ever photo of a black hole. So what happens now?
- While the first photo of a black hole has dazzled the world, scientists say their work is only beginning
- More observation stations around the world – and perhaps off it – will be employed to make higher-definition images
We’ve seen humanity’s first photo of a black hole. Is the adventure over?
No. Far from it. “The researchers who captured the first-ever images of a black hole don’t plan to rest on their laurels,” Space.com said.
Astronomers agree that their work is far from done, project director Sheperd Doeleman of Harvard University said at a news conference Wednesday. It is actually only just beginning.
Scientists this week unveiled the first picture of a black hole, which was located at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the “nearby” Virgo galaxy cluster. It looked like a flaming orange, yellow and black ring.
Images came from a collection of eight telescopes around the world specifically designed to peer at black holes, part of the Event Horizon Telescope project. The telescopes are in Chile, Hawaii, Arizona, Mexico, Spain and at the South Pole.