画像の出所：https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/03/event-horizon-telescope-captures-stunning-new-image-of-milky-ways-black-hole/
One day, humans will finally see the ‘monster at the heart of the Milky Way” March 17, 2024
Event Horizon Telescope captures stunning new image of Milky Way’s black hole.
In the early hours of a Wednesday in March, scientists unveiled an extraordinary image captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) – a global network of radio telescopes. This image revealed in great detail the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
Located around 26,000 light-years from Earth, this black hole, known as Sagittarius A*, has a mass about four million times that of our sun. The mind-boggling image shows a bright ring-like structure surrounding a dark central region, believed to be the shadow of the black hole.
The EHT spent four weeks observing the black hole in April and May 2023, capturing staggering amounts of data. This data was then combined and analyzed to produce the detailed image that has now been released.
While black holes are known to be invisible due to their immense gravitational pull trapping even light, the intense heat and light emitted by matter falling into the black hole’s vicinity creates a bright ring-like structure. The new image offers unprecedented insights into the behavior of matter near a black hole and provides valuable information for scientists studying these mysterious cosmic entities.
This latest image has once again demonstrated the incredible power and precision of the EHT, a collaboration involving telescopes in various locations around the globe. By working together and combining their observations, these telescopes are able to capture images of cosmic phenomena that were once thought impossible to see. The EHT team is already planning future observations to further study and explore the secrets of black holes.