The Sharpest Ground Observations for Black Holes Ever | ESO Chasing Starlight

The Sharpest Ground Observations for Black Holes Ever | ESO Chasing Starlight

The images of black holes released by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration in 2019 and 2022 were the sharpest images of the cosmos ever obtained from Earth. They were captured using a virtual telescope the size of our planet. If we are already using the largest ground-based telescope we possibly can, are we able to take even sharper black hole images? 

In this episode of Chasing Starlight, European Southern Observatory astronomer Suzanna Randall reveals how a pilot experiment using telescopes that are part of the EHT was able to obtain the highest-resolution observations ever made from the ground, and what that means for future black hole images.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Directed by: L. Calçada, M. Wallner

Hosted by: S. Randall

Written by: L. Spillman

Videography: A. Tsaousis

Animations & footage: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Benisty et al., ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. Maercker et al.; N. R. Fuller/NSF

Scientific consultant: P. Amico, J. C. Munoz-Mateos

Acknowledgement: Eduardo Ros

Duration: 8 minutes

Release Date: Aug. 27, 2024

#NASA #NSF #ESO #Space #Astronomy #Science #BlackHoles #Galaxies #MilkyWayGalaxy #Astrophysics #Cosmos #Universe #EventHorizonTelescope #EHT #VLT #Telescope #Chile #ChasingStarlight #STEM #Education #HD #Video