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Black holes are surrounded by an invisible layer that swallows every bit of evidence about their past. Researchers are now using machine learning and supercomputers to reconstruct the growth histories of black holes.
Snapping an image of a black hole is just the beginning, says researcher Chi-Kwan "CK" Chan. To really understand the image, it must be compared with black hole simulations. UArizona worked with partners to create the world's largest simulation library.
UArizona astrophysicists Feryal Özel and Dimitrios Psaltis identified Sagittarius A* as an ideal target black hole more than 20 years ago. They call it a "Goldilocks black hole," with an environment "just right" for capturing an image.
After years of anticipation, the international Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration presented the first image of the black hole located at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, called Sagittarius A*. Scientists had previously suggested the presence of a black hole at this location, but there was no direct visual evidence until now.
Researchers used detailed observations of an enormous jet of glowing gas and dust to pinpoint the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy Centaurus A.
A new image taken with the globe-spanning Event Horizon Telescope array reveals the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy and its shadow in polarized light. The EHT network of telescopes includes the UArizona ARO Submillimeter Telescope on Mt. Graham in Arizona.
Einstein's theory of general relativity has withstood over 100 years of scrutiny and testing, including the newest test from the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, led by UArizona astrophysicists.
Astronomy Prof Peter Behroozi was awarded a Packard Fellowship to get to the bottom of a long-standing mystery: How could supermassive black holes grow so big so quickly after the Big Bang?
The EHT collaboration, which included UA researchers and students, received a prestigious and lucrative award for producing the first image of a supermassive black hole.
.png?itok=Ow57Lj6a "Illustration showing a collage of different simulated black holes and a large galaxy")
