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Astronomers Are About to Make a Massive Announcement About Something in The Milky Way
https://www.sciencealert.com ^ | 29 APRIL 2022 | CARLY CASSELLA

Posted on 05/03/2022 6:25:48 AM PDT by Red Badger

In two weeks' time, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is going to present the world with new information about our Milky Way.

It's anyone's guess what the announcement will be, but based on what we know of their recent efforts, there's reason to get excited – the results being presented are from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project, which was responsible for producing the first-ever image of a black hole in 2019.

For years now the EHT project has been studying the heart of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, which is most likely home to a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*.

Whatever they've found out, they're making a big deal out of it.

Since the scientists are hosting simultaneous press conferences around the globe, it's a good chance what they are keeping under wraps is the next instalment after the historic 2019 moment of the first black hole reveal.

A conference will be streamed about the findings online on 12 May 2022 at 15:00 CEST (13:00 UTC, 9:00 EST), followed by a YouTube event with six astronomers from around the world. Press releases will include "extensive supporting audiovisual material" (eek!).

If astronomers have managed to produce a direct image of Sgr A*'s event horizon, it will be a historic moment you don't want to miss.

Black holes are extremely difficult to image because they are quite literally invisible, absorbing all electromagnetic radiation. All that we can hope to see is the event horizon; essentially, the black hole's outline, which represents where light can no longer escape the black hole's gravitational forces.

But Sgr A* is obscured by a cloud of dust and gas, which makes it particularly difficult to study.

If astronomers have imaged the black hole's horizon, it should appear as a glowing donut. This is the black hole's accretion disc, a ring of gas and dust that gives off extreme radiation as it falls into the abyss.

Glowing orange ring on a black background, with a fog of red surrounding it (EHT Collaboration)

ESO's press release is promising something "groundbreaking", which is the same wording they used before announcing the first direct image of a black hole in 2019.

This black hole was at the center of the galaxy M87, and it has a mass 6.5 billion times that of our Sun. Its event horizon has a radius of roughly 20 billion kilometers, and it's really far away.

Experts compare taking a direct image of it to observing an object 1 millimeter in size from a distance of 13,000 kilometers away (8,000 miles).

Sgr A* is much closer to us, being at the heart of our own galaxy. However, it is rather small for a supermassive black hole, only 4.3 million times bigger than the Sun. It's only detectable because it's relatively much closer to Earth than M87*.

So if astronomers have finally captured an image of its event horizon, it certainly would be groundbreaking.

We can't wait to see what the ESO is about to show us: watch this space. You can find more details about the announcement here.


TOPICS: Astronomy; History; Science; UFO's
KEYWORDS: astronomy; blackhole; eso; milkyway; physics; science; stringtheory
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To: Rightwing Conspiratr1

Maybe something about Uranus, but not mine.


41 posted on 05/03/2022 7:32:52 AM PDT by EvilCapitalist (I pledge allegiance to Hedy Lamarr)
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To: cgbg

They found observational proof that the shape of the Milky Way galaxy is not a spiral, but rather a Mobius band.


42 posted on 05/03/2022 7:51:29 AM PDT by 17th Miss Regt
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To: Tucker39

It will be seen from Far away..................


43 posted on 05/03/2022 7:52:39 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: rktman

It’s not milk at all. That would be quite an upsetting announcement!


44 posted on 05/03/2022 7:53:53 AM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Lurker

Event Horizon was not only creepy, but disturbing in a Lovecraftian sort of way. And that 3nding...


45 posted on 05/03/2022 7:57:13 AM PDT by Noumenon (Black American flag time. KTF)
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To: Noumenon

I’m always up for an homage to Lovecraft. His stuff scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.

L


46 posted on 05/03/2022 8:07:30 AM PDT by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Red Badger

Enormous black holes are dripping with fudge from Uranus?


47 posted on 05/03/2022 8:11:27 AM PDT by Delta 21 (It started as a virus, and mutated into an IQ test.)
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To: Red Badger; 6SJ7; AdmSmith; AFPhys; Arkinsaw; allmost; aristotleman; autumnraine; bajabaja; ...
Thanks Red Badger.


· List topics · post a topic · subscribe · Google ·

48 posted on 05/03/2022 8:12:53 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

They are going to announce Almonds in the Milky Way............Then it will be a Mars Bar...............


49 posted on 05/03/2022 8:14:21 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Everybody’s such optimists.

They’ve probably got the first picture of the shock wave coming to wipe us out after Sgr A* exploded.


50 posted on 05/03/2022 8:16:25 AM PDT by seowulf (Civilization begins with order, grows with liberty, and dies with chaos...Will Durant)
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To: logi_cal869

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51 posted on 05/03/2022 8:21:01 AM PDT by Kevmo (Give back Ukes their Nukes https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4044080/posts)
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To: Red Badger

They should have Damon Wayans in uniform, announce it as the character “Major Letdown”, because I’m sure it will be snoozers.


52 posted on 05/03/2022 8:34:49 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Red Badger

Maybe a functioning Dyson sphere, a Ring world, or classical orbital?


53 posted on 05/03/2022 9:05:04 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Red Badger

I’m hoping that it is granola.


54 posted on 05/03/2022 9:35:28 AM PDT by Rio
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To: Poison Pill

Send more Chuck Berry


55 posted on 05/03/2022 4:42:58 PM PDT by Keyhopper (Indians had bad immigration laws)
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To: Red Badger

That Milky Way bar is better then a Mars Bar?


56 posted on 05/03/2022 9:35:11 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy gas)
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To: minnesota_bound
Snicker....................
57 posted on 05/04/2022 5:16:48 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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