The new BLACK HOLE image explained by an ASTROPHYSICIST | Your questions answered

The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration just released the first ever image of the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole (the same group that took the first ever image of a black hole in 2019 - the one in the centre of the Messier 87 galaxy). What do we learn from this image? Why is it orange? Why is it different to the M87 image? Why is it blurry? And can we observe the same thing with the James Webb Space Telescope?

Why yes this was filmed and edited in a single day. Thanks for noticing. Yes I am exhausted.

00:00 - Introduction
01:04 - How do we take images like this?
03:37 - How does this compare to the M87* image?
05:51 - Why is the image blurred?
08:30 - Why is it orange?
09:53 - What are the 3 bright blobs?
11:29 - What angle are we seeing this from?
17:07 - Will we observe this with JWST?
19:10 - Outro
19:36 - Bloopers

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👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on *how* we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.

[mikkj]

As an old guy who was around before Sputnik, and who watched the moon landing, the progressive improvement within the techniques and equipment used by astronomers continues to amaze me. I've always been a huge science fiction fan, and, every year, more and more of what I've read in the past is no longer fiction.

[erichodge]

There is simply no substitute for having a real astrophysicist explain astrophysics. Thanks, Dr. Becky!

[lordInquisitor]

The fact that there is a single object so large that stuff moving near light speed needs weeks to orbit it is just awesome

[paulpence]

There is no replacement for Dr. Becky's genuine enthusiasm... Love this channel, keep bringing it!!!

[FRXable]

It's such a treat to have a black hole expert explaining what we are seeing in that image, and also to see the enthusiasm when the image was released. What a great time to live in :)

[TheStreamingEnderman]

As a person who has little more than basic knowledge and a whole lot of curiosity on Astronomy, this was quite the treat!

[abeautifullybookishlife]

For anyone interested, Netflix has the documentary Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know, which includes following the Event Horizon Telescope team leading up to the M87 image release. It is incredibly interesting.

[keegs]

Back when i was young my dad would explain and read universe in a nutshell to me, i spent so much time imaging seeing a blackhole up close. But this is incredible to even come this far at all, im flabbergasted. Love your show Dr Bekky keep up the amazing content

[kathrynck]

To describe what they did... I liken it to this:
Imagine a digital camera hanging from a string, dangling to and fro, spinning, etc. Now imagine that the digital camera's sensor is mostly broken, having only a handful of functional pixels. What they did, was spend a very long time watching the few working pixels, while minding the orientation of the camera moving about, to try to accumulate a composite which approximates something like a very crude imitation of a photograph, while filming a moving target.

[MuseumGuy]

I love how much "space stuff" is happening these days - hearing about all these massive collaborations of scientists from all over the world collaborating to create these technological marvels and explore the fundamental history of our Universe is such a needed break from everything else. Thanks for your great videos that help me to understand and appreciate these inspiring stories even more!

[stevewebber]

Always amazing to me how much information can be extracted from an image that looks to an untrained eye, like a blurry blob.

[remander]

As someone with two doctorates who has taught undergrads and grad students, I am very impressed by your clear and succinct delivery. Love this breakdown!

[JacquieLewis]

I enjoy space and learning about it but I’m not smart enough to fully comprehend certain things. You simplify it and create comparisons that are easily understood. Thank you. You [space] rock!

[trevcam]

It's really exciting to read about all these amazing advances in our knowledge of the universe.
I was born in 1941 and space travel was just fiction, as was our knowledge of the universe. I remember drawing what I thought a space ship should look like when I was still in junior school.
The advances in all technology and knowledge in my 81 years are almost unbelievable and so exciting. I just want to keep going so I can see what we discover next. Hopefully Webb will amaze me with fantastic images from the beginning of time before my own time stops.
And I just love the excitement in your presentation. No wonder you're exhausted.

[Lilee]

I love how passionate you are in this video. But also how easily digestible the video and information is for regular people like myself who are not so good with the whole space/physics thing. Thank you!

[mkilptrick]

I love the energy Dr. Becky exudes in her videos. We need more teachers like her.

[TheLonelyMoon]

You, Anton, and so many channels out there, make these educations public and accessibly, thank you!

[AmosBBello]

Your videos are always the best I do receive a notification each time you post a new video.. We'll have regrets for things we did not participate in...Investment should always be on any creative man's heart for success in life.

[LemonLadyRecords]

I think the best thing about this, by far, is new info about the evolution of the Milky Way. Thanks for touching on all these issues, beyond just the pretty picture, which it is. I'm old enough to remember when we didn't know what quasars were (thus, "quasi-stellar" objects), and their black holes were only theoretical sci-fi things. From viewing Sputnik in my backyard to Sgr A* and M87*, what a lucky lifespan I've had!

[douglasthompson]

What a monumental achievement. Even when Messier 87 was photographed, many were thinking, "why don't we photograph our own supermassive blackhole, it's much closer". Not understanding that not only is Sagittarius A a much smaller blackhole compared to Messier 87, but that our line of sight to Sagittarius A is on the same plane as the galaxy itself, making it incredibly hard to parse it from the ambience created by light and obstructions from the Milky Way itself. Remarkable, the things humans have achieved.