Astronomers are preparing to capture the first-ever movie of a supermassive black hole using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).
The EHT, a global network of 12 radio telescopes, will track the colossal black hole at the center of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy throughout March and April. The objective is to record the swirling disk that outlines the event horizon, the boundary beyond which light and matter cannot escape.
Sera Markoff, a Plumian Professor of Astronomy and a founding member of the EHT consortium, stated that the movie campaign is revolutionary. Researchers aim to better understand the black hole's rotation speed and the mechanisms behind black hole jet launching, which are significant questions in the field.
Black holes are considered crucial for comprehending the emergence of the first galaxies in the early universe and their subsequent evolution. They play an important role in the universe's ecosystem.
During the observation period, the Earth's rotation will allow M87's central black hole to be viewed by different telescopes, enabling a complete image to be captured every three days. The black hole's immense scale
—equivalent to 6 billion suns and spanning an area comparable to the solar system
—means its slow movement allows these sequential snapshots to be compiled into a moving image.
Measuring the black hole's spin speed is important as it can help distinguish between theories of how these objects grow to such large proportions. High-speed spins would support growth primarily through accretion, while slower spins might indicate growth through mergers with other black holes.
Furthermore, the observations are expected to shed light on the formation of black hole jets, which are powerful structures that channel gas out of galaxies. These jets influence the formation of new stars and limit galaxy growth, and can also create dense material pockets that trigger star formation outside the host galaxy.
While the movie campaign is scheduled for spring, the large volume of data generated by the telescopes means hard drives will need to be physically shipped to Germany and the US for processing during the Antarctic summer. This indicates a potentially long waiting period before the processed footage is released to the public.
Professor Markoff, who was appointed the 17th Plumian Professor, expressed her aim to encourage increased participation in science from under-represented backgrounds, drawing from her own non-traditional path into astrophysics.