One of the mysteries of the universe, it was first discovered that the black hole, the closest black hole to Earth, is a spherical circle. Researchers at home and abroad have succeeded in observing through the gas cloud.
Reporter Seo Dong-gyun reports.
<기자>
A photograph that confirmed Einstein’s theory of relativity.
This is the first black hole seen by humans.
A black hole in the galaxy M87, located 55 million years away at the speed of light, made possible by radio telescopes that use radio waves instead of light to observe celestial bodies.
[이의겸/한국천문연구원 연구원 : (여러 대를 합치면) 지구 반경에 거의 흡사한 전파 망원경으로 관측을 한 것과 거의 동일한….]
However, the black hole in our galaxy, closest to Earth, has been veiled until now.
It was covered by a cloud of gas, making it difficult to observe.
However, after five years of analysis with a foreign research team, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute has successfully penetrated this cloud and photographed the periphery of the black hole.
The radio telescope has found a formula that can remove only the scattering of light caused by gas clouds from the signals observed around the black hole.
The research team found that this black hole was observed in a circular shape, and the gas revolved around it like Saturn’s belt, and the axis of rotation was directed toward the Earth.
[손봉원/한국천문연구원 책임연구원 : (그동안은) 기울어져 있는지 아니면 원반면이 다 보이는지를 잘 알지 못했었어요. 앞으로 우리 은하 중심 블랙홀 연구에 여러 변수를 훨씬 줄일 수 있는 기회가….]
As more precise observations like the M87 black hole image will be possible in the near future, this study will be of great help in uncovering the secrets of our galaxy.
(Video source: Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute)
