Black Hole Portrait – Feb 24

Black holes are among the most remarkable predictions of Einstein's theory of gravity. So much material is compressed into such a small volume that nothing, not even light, can escape. In Spring 2019, the multinational Event Horizon Telescope released the first real picture of gas around a massive black hole and the “shadow” cast as that gas swirls in. UC Berkeley astrophysicist Eliot Quataert will describes how this — and other — pioneering observations were made and what they have taught us about black holes.

Dr. Eliot Quataert is Professor and Chair of the Astronomy Department at UC Berkeley. He also directs Cal's Theoretical Astrophysics Center.