Which was used to create the first image of a black hole?(1 point)
Responses
radio waves from matter at the edge of the black hole
radio waves from matter at the edge of the black hole
x-rays from inside the black hole
x-rays from inside the black hole
radio waves from matter at the edge of the black hole
The correct answer is:
radio waves from matter at the edge of the black hole.
The first image of a black hole was created using radio waves from matter at the edge of the black hole. To understand how this was done, we need to look at the technique used called radio interferometry, which involves collecting data from multiple radio telescopes and combining them to create a high-resolution image.
In the case of the first black hole image, an international collaboration called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) was formed. The EHT combined data from eight radio telescopes located around the world. These telescopes synchronized their observations to the same time and frequency, which allowed them to create a virtual Earth-sized telescope.
The black hole targeted by the EHT is located at the center of a galaxy called M87. The black hole itself doesn't emit any light or radio waves, but the matter surrounding it does. As matter gets pulled into the black hole's intense gravitational field, it forms a rotating disk known as an accretion disk. This disk of superheated gas emits intense radio waves.
The radio telescopes of the EHT picked up these radio waves and recorded their precise characteristics, such as the phase and amplitude. By combining this data, researchers were able to reconstruct the image of the black hole's shadow against the backdrop of the accretion disk.
So, to create the first image of a black hole, radio waves from matter at the edge of the black hole were used, and the data from multiple radio telescopes were combined using radio interferometry techniques.