Sagittarius A* in all its glory!

SuprSi

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team that took the first-ever images of a black hole (M87) are back with the first images ever taken of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*.

https://eventhorizontelescope.org/blog/astronomers-reveal-first-image-black-hole-heart-our-galaxy

I am absolutely fascinated by these things!

JupiterKid

Amazing image!

20 years ago such an image of a black hole would be considered the stuff of science fiction. Incredible.

Quantum Erasure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119075170#Comment_119075170

I was always very sceptical of how they extrapolated the data to get the final image, turns out it may be inaccurate

www.space.com/the-universe/black-holes/1st-image-of-our-milky-ways-black-hole-may-be-inaccurate-scientists-say?

 the EHT collaboration used special computer algorithms that could fill in gaps in data caused by the widely separated telescopes. From there, the team reconstructed the image prior to the chaos caused by the turbulent gas.

"Each algorithm has its own method for determining which image is most likely," said Bouman. "It is a bit like hiring Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Jules Maigret simultaneously to see what they commonly conclude and what they don't."

Quantum Erasure

pop-sci video from Dr. Becky explaining the thing, (watch from about 10 mins to 20 mins if you know the basics)

04:50 - A quick recap on the radio light you’re seeing in these black hole images

07:19 - How the Event Horizon Telescope works (VLBI) and how these images are constructed

10:08 - What Miyoshi, Kato & Makino are claiming is wrong with the images

15:25 - The Event Horizon Telescope team’s response and where that leaves us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U6bvR6SzMo

Lorddrakul

That's brilliant.

I'm fascinated by what imaging can do these days. The documentary BBC did on the project to do that first image was marvellous too.