tech

January 18, 2026

Revolutionary imaging of black hole aims to prove they are not ‘evil vacuum cleaners’

Newly appointed Cambridge professor says feat would accelerate scientific knowledge by an order of magnitude

Revolutionary imaging of black hole aims to prove they are not ‘evil vacuum cleaners’

TL;DR

  • The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) will film the supermassive black hole in Messier 87.
  • The goal is to capture footage of the swirling disc around the event horizon.
  • This movie campaign aims to understand black hole rotation speed and jet launching mechanisms.
  • Black holes are recognized by scientists for their crucial role in the early universe and galaxy evolution.
  • The EHT is a global network of radio telescopes, previously producing the first image of a black hole's shadow.
  • The scale of the M87 black hole allows for slow movement, enabling the stitching of snapshots into a movie.
  • Measuring spin speed could differentiate between theories of black hole growth (accretion vs. mergers).
  • Observations may explain the formation of powerful galactic jets that influence star formation.
  • Data processing will occur during the Antarctic summer, implying a delay in public viewing.
  • Sera Markoff, a new astronomy professor, hopes to inspire under-represented groups in science.

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