In 2019, the scientists responsible for the project Event horizon telescope The EHT has revealed the first image of the supermassive black hole M87*, located at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy. And now, they've also released New image with subsequent data for the objectA central shadow appears in the bright ring, which confirms the predictions of Albert Einstein and general relativity.
In addition to verifying the prediction, this new image also allows us to observe how the ring's brightness reached its peak It moved about 30 degrees This compares to the first observation, reaffirming current theoretical understanding of how the materials surrounding black holes vary.
Good With a statement The first observations of M87*, published by the EHT, were published in 2017, which were processed and revealed to the world two years later. In 2018, it was observed again, but with improved methods created A completely different picture from the first.
This second result allows us to estimate, How to publish In the magazine Astronomy and astrophysicswhich in M87 * The family ring is still there The same size and shadow as the black hole, as shown in the first image.
Let's remember that the image taken in 2017 not only helped to study the astrophysics of black holes in a new way, but also Testing the theory of general relativity At the basic level.
Strengthening theory
Regarding black holes, the theory is that they are extremely compact and dense objects, with such strong gravitational force that even light cannot escape their gravity, and they cannot be seen by a distant observer. It generates a dark area in space which is usually called “Black hole shadow“.
To achieve these observations, the EHT received several improvements, such as the Greenland Telescope, which… Allows to improve its image resolution and coverage. In addition, sharing a large millimeter telescope allowed for its sensitivity to be improved.
Furthermore, the data was analyzed in 2018 Present eight modeling techniques Independent images, as well as the methods used to analyze 2017, and the expertise used to monitor Sagittarius A*.
Analyze changes in both snapshots
The image of M87* taken in 2018, according to the EHT, is remarkably similar to the one taken in 2017, with a bright ring of the same size and a dark central area and One side of the ring is brighter than the other.
However, the hole's mass and distance are not expected to increase significantly over the course of a human lifetime, as general relativity predicts that the diameter of its ring It should remain the same over timeThis is something that is supported by photos from 2017 and 2018.
One of the differences in the images is that the bright area around the ring has changed. Rotate 30 degrees counterclockwise To be located at the bottom of the ring, at approximately five o'clock on the clock.
According to Dr. Brett Jeter, a postdoctoral fellow at the Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan, one of the most important changes between observations It is the shift in peak brightness. Although general relativity states that the size of the ring should remain more or less constant, the bright part of it will oscillate around a common center.
Jeter reveals that oscillating this part over time will allow for getting used to it Test theories about magnetic fields And the plasma environment around the black hole.
It's not the last image of a black hole we'll see
The EHT also reveals that the observations are from 2017 and 2018 It's not the only one made on the M87*The telescope project also conducted successful analyzes in 2021 and 2022, and is expected to do so again during the first half of 2024.
Moreover, as the EHT telescope network is constantly being improved, with the addition of… New telescopes, better instruments and observing frequencies Additional data, it is possible to analyze a larger amount of data, which will eventually be published to the general public.
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