Black Hole Portrait – Apr 17

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. Black holes have also captured the public imagination, and are commonly featured in popular culture, from Star Trek to Hollywood movies. In Spring 2019, the multinational Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) released the first real (non-Hollywood!) picture of gas around a black hole and the “shadow” cast as that gas swirls in. How did the EHT do it, and what have its combined observations taught us about black holes?

Our speaker, Eliot Quataert, is Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysical Science at Princeton University. He has received numerous national awards for his research including a Simons Investigator award and the American Astronomical Society's Warner Prize. Dr. Quataert is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences AND of the National Academy of Sciences.