Imaging Black Holes with the Event Horizon Telescope, by Dr Ziri Younsi

Supermassive black holes are believed to reside at the centres of galaxies, powering some of the most violent and energetic events in the known Universe. In spite of overwhelming indirect evidence of their existence, until recently black holes had evaded direct observational confirmation. In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration changed how we see black holes forever by presenting the first “image” of these mysterious monsters, showcasing M87’s black hole image. In April 2021, the EHT presented a follow-up of this study, presenting the first polarised image of M87, providing tantalising new hints as to the properties of matter, magnetic fields, and light in the vicinity of the event horizon of a black hole.

After providing an overview of black holes and their history in modern science, Dr Ziri Younsi’s talk will discuss how they captured these images of a black hole and provided the first direct evidence…