Astronomy research team used large telescopes across the globe to take the first ever image of Black Hole in M87
Black hole is the most shadowy image of the universe. It is a term we all must have read in our school days. But does anyone remember seeing a real image of a black hole in any science book. I don’t think so. But now, our generations to come would see and learn a lot from a picture of Black hole.
It was a historic moment for the astronomers and astronomy as a whole. On the 10th of April, 2019 astronomers unveiled the photo of a black hole. It was more like a painting than like a picture clicked. Whatever, it is… the first direct visual evidence of a black hole and its “shadow” was revealed. This image was captured by the astronomers from the Event Horizon Telescope.
The Event Horizon Telescope project itself was launched about 10 years ago but it builds on a vast amount of scientific and technological research that preceded it over many decades. The light seen around the black hole is the hot gaseous material that is swirling into the black hole that is being consumed by the black hole, and the light is coming from this swirling material.
What is black hole ?
A black hole is a region of space-time exhibiting gravitational acceleration so strong that nothing—no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from it. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can deform spacetime to form a black hole.
The interior of black holes has not been studied since we cannot hope to see light or other information from inside a black hole coming out. Near a black hole the gravitational field is very intense because a black hole contains a huge amount of mass within a relatively small volume. Matter going into it increases the mass of the black hole.
What happens when I fall into a black hole ?
It is a matter of speculation. Still, if it is to be assumed any way, your feet feel a stronger gravitational pull than your head, because they are closer to the black hole. As a result, your body is stretched apart. For small black holes, this stretching is so strong that your body is completely torn apart before you reach the event horizon.