First Picture of a Black Hole
April 16, 2019
Daria Kropshofer
April, 9, 2019
A black hole is a place in the universe where light is absent. Two pictures of a black hole are set to arrive on April, 10 – that’s tomorrow – at a press conference at 9:00 a.m. in six different locations throughout the world.
The pictures will give humanity it’s first look at the black hole that is located at the center of the Milky Way. It also shows a vastly larger black hole in the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy, which is 54 million light years from Earth.
The pictures will not actually depict the black holes itself, since they are so dense gravitationally, that nothing (including light) can escape their pull. The pictures will show the black holes’ horizons, the gas, dust and starlight that are circling the black hole before they are sucked into it.
The black hole centered in our galaxy is named Sagittarius A, and has a mass equivalent to about 4.1 million of our suns. Sagittarius A is a so-called “Supermassive black hole”. The many telescopes that were available for the research played a big role in making this possible.
This is a big event, because now scientists know how they can survey black holes, and get a better idea of the useful techniques for surveying black holes.
![Zoe Jung, 11, holds her newest ceramic piece, a large toilet, for her AP art portfolio. Jung’s toilet is symbolic of the government, with the tank and bowl representing the government and population respectively. “[My AP art portfolio] is kind of small right now because I kind of take my time with my work.”](https://fmhswire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_3548-600x450.jpg)
