Scientists set up a telescopic network (from Hawaii to Antarctica with Spain in the center) and 5 nights filmed the center of our galaxy. There is a possibility that they managed to capture the first shot of a black hole.
On the development of the image will take months. But if the result turns out to be positive, then we will be able to solve the most important secret: what the Universe consists of and how it was formed.
“Instead of creating a large-scale telescope that could not sustain its own mass, we decided to unite 8 observatories,” said Michael Bremer, an astronomer from the International Research Institute of Radio Astronomy (IRAM).
As a result, they formed a virtual telescope the size of our planet (10,000 km in diameter). The larger the telescope, the further it allows to penetrate. The target is a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy. It is located in the area of Sagittarius, separated by 26,000 light years.
The name of the black hole is Sagittarius A *, which occupies 4 million solar mass. In theory, when a black hole absorbs everything that approaches it, it creates a brief light flash. Each hole has a boundary - the event horizon. Until the object comes close, it is still safe. But if you crossed the line, then there is no way back. The created Event Horizon Telescope tracked the light that appeared. For the first time, mankind has the opportunity to capture a similar phenomenon. The telescope was so powerful that it could find a golf ball on the moon.
The 30-meter IRAM is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Spain). The telescope of the South Pole (Antarctica), Maxwell (Hawaii) and Atacama (in the desert of Chile) are connected to it. Total accumulated about 500 terabytes at each station. This entire array will be processed by supercomputers at the Massachusetts Observatory.
“When images appear, we will combine them. But you have to wait a few months, ”said Bremer.
