Given that we cannot directly observe black holes with telescopes that detect x-rays, light, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation; it is in a way invisible; there is a great deal of speculation published concerning their mysterious existence. This is also the reason why many are fascinated by them, science lovers and the wide public alike. Black holes have only been studied indirectly, by detecting their effects on the surrounding matter.
With the most recent publication of the world's first true image of a black hole released last week by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration and streamed live by the US National Science Foundation, the future of blackhole studies seems to be gaining momentum. Concepts such as time dilation and black hole energy farming seem to be very possible.
Learning as much as possible about the properties of black holes could conceivably prove beneficial to humanity. Someday it may be possible to harness and utilize some of the vast energies produced by these objects.
"To me, it is just the beginning," stated Dr. Katie Bouman, who is Jewish, and was part of the team that created an algorithm put together from telescopes worldwide to create a photo of the deep space phenomenon.
"Even though we predicted that if you had a black hole you would see a ring of light, we didn't know we were going to get that ring. It could have been just a blob," she explained, adding that the black hole has a "size that is consistent with other measurements that had been done completely differently. The asymmetry and the fact that it's brighter on the bottom shows us how gases flow."
The researcher said her team is interested in "developing the techniques to expand our algorithms" and is excited about the next step.
The algorithm named CHIRP which stands for Continuous High-resolution Image Reconstruction using Patch prior was first developed by MIT in June of 2016 in collaboration with several other organizations. It was then used to combine data from the eight radio telescopes around the world working under the Event Horizon Telescope, the international collaboration that captured the black hole image and turned it into a cohesive image. As described three years ago, the project sought "to turn the entire planet into a large radio telescope dish." With such an ambitious goal, one can only imagine the endless possibilities with Dr. Bouman's recent success.
