Astronomers reveal first image of black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy
Berlin, May 12: Astronomers on Thursday unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy.
The finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, provides overwhelming evidence that the object is indeed a black hole and yields valuable clues about the workings of such giants, which are thought to reside at the centre of most galaxies.
The image was produced by a global research team called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, using observations from a worldwide network of radio telescopes.
The finding was unveiled during simultaneous press conferences around the world, including at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) headquarters in Germany.
The image is a long-anticipated look at the massive object that sits at the very centre of our galaxy. Scientists had previously seen stars orbiting around something invisible, compact, and very massive at the centre of the Milky Way.
This strongly suggested that this object known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A* ) is a black hole, and the image provides the first direct visual evidence of it.
Although we cannot see the black hole itself, because it is completely dark, glowing gas around it reveals a tell-tale signature: a dark central region (called a shadow) surrounded by a bright ring-like structure, the researchers said.
The new view captures light bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole, which is four million times more massive than our Sun, they said.
We were stunned by how well the size of the ring agreed with predictions from Einstein's Theory of General Relativity," said EHT Project Scientist Geoffrey Bower from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taipei.
"These unprecedented observations have greatly improved our understanding of what happens at the very centre of our galaxy, and offer new insights on how these giant black holes interact with their surroundings," Bower said.
Because the black hole is about 27 000 light-years away from Earth, it appears to us to have about the same size in the sky as a doughnut on the Moon.
To image it, the team created the powerful EHT, which linked together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single Earth-sized virtual telescope.
The EHT observed Sgr A* on multiple nights in 2017, collecting data for many hours in a row, similar to using a long exposure time on a camera.
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Deputy CM Shivakumar announces property ownership drive in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced a major property ownership drive here aimed at correcting and regularising property records, saying the government had already rectified 23 lakh Khatas and enabled citizens to download their documents online.
Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, said the state government had begun converting B-Khatas into A-Khatas and would organise special Khata camps every Saturday across corporation limits from May 16 to help citizens secure their property documents.
A Khata is a legal document in Bengaluru certifying that a property complies with all local by-laws, regulations and has paid property taxes to the civic body.
“We have already corrected 23 lakh khatas and provided an opportunity for people to download them,” he said.
Shivakumar explained that the major campaign has been undertaken in Bengaluru to streamline property documentation.
The Deputy Chief Minister said between five and 10 centres would be set up in every corporation area as part of the “Khata Andolana” programme and urged citizens to participate in large numbers.
“I appeal to people to safeguard their property documents. We have created an opportunity for all citizens,” he said.
Calling it a "people-centric" initiative, Shivakumar said the government was working to ensure citizens received proper ownership documentation for their properties.
Shivakumar further claimed that the initiative had drawn national attention and said the Union government had recognised Karnataka with an award for the programme.
“Your Khata is your right. Obtain your Khata and protect yourself from fraud,” he said, while urging people to take advantage of the scheme.
