Two new images of the supermassive black hole M87*, made from observations collected in April 2017 and April 2018, have further confirmed that it continues to act as predicted by the theory of relativity.
A group of astronomers operating the Event Horizon Telescope, a network of antennas that spans the globe, produced the first image of the black hole in Messier 87, or M87, in 2017. The image revealed a ring of hot gas, tilted and spinning around a dark void as predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity in 1915. The same team of scientists has recently captured another image, with even greater resolution, confirming the previous findings and revealing slight changes in the position of the brightest knot in the ring around the black hole.
Sheperd Doeleman, a researcher at the Center for Astrophysics, said that this discovery confirms that M87’s supermassive black hole is behaving just as scientists thought it would. This news contributes significantly to our understanding of black holes, one of many problematic predictions that arose from general relativity.
Experiments like the Laser Interferometry Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) have heard black holes crashing into each other, and the Event Horizon Telescope has brought these phenomena into palpable reality. These findings are crucial in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the universe.
Thanks to the quirk of nature, supermassive black holes in M87, as well as at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, are large enough in the sky to be imaged and studied by the Event Horizon Telescope. The team plans to continue adding to their network and eventually create a movie of black holes. This ongoing research is promising and offers the potential for further discoveries that will impact our understanding of space.
Dennis Overbye, an outer space correspondent for The New York Times, concludes that the recent discovery is a crucial step in confirming our most significant conclusions and deepening our understanding of how massive black holes function. This news leaves researchers eager for the next phase of the study to learn more about these enigmatic cosmic phenomena.