A team of astronomers is working on capturing the first-ever video of a black hole, aiming to demystify these cosmic phenomena. Contrary to popular belief, black holes are not cosmic vacuum cleaners but intriguing entities, according to astrophysicist Sera Markoff.
The team, using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), initially captured an image of a supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy in 2019. Now, with an expanded network of 12 telescopes, they are tracking the motion of the black hole in M87 more closely than before, aiming to create a dynamic video.
The slow evolution of the black hole in M87 allows for detailed observation, unlike the rapidly changing Sagittarius A*, located in the Milky Way. By studying the behavior of the black hole and the surrounding hot gas, astronomers hope to gain insights into the extreme physics at play.
The data collected from the telescopes will be processed over time to construct the video, potentially answering fundamental questions about black hole dynamics. Understanding the workings of black holes is crucial as their influence extends beyond their immediate surroundings, affecting the evolution of galaxies and star formation processes.