Scientists Release Improved Version of First Black Hole Image
2023-04-18
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1Scientists have released a more detailed version of the first image of a black hole.
2That first image, released four years ago, showed a blurry, round-shaped orange object.
3Now, researchers have used machine learning methods to create an improved picture.
4The new image was recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
5The same shape remains as in the first image, but it has a narrower ring and sharper resolution.
6Scientists have said the black hole in the image sits at the center of a galaxy called M87, more than 53 million light-years from Earth.
7A light year is the distance light travels in a year --- about 9.5 trillion kilometers.
8The mass of the black hole is 6.5 billion times greater than that of Earth's sun.
9A network of radio telescopes around the world gathered the data used to make the image.
10But even with many telescopes working together, holes remained in the data.
11In the latest study, scientists depended on the same data, but used machine learning methods to fill in the missing information.
12The resulting picture looks similar to the image, but with a thinner "doughnut" and a darker center, the researchers said.
13"For me, it feels like we're really seeing it for the first time," said the lead writer of the study, Lia Medeiros.
14She is an astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in New Jersey.
15She said it was the first time the team had used machine learning to fill in the data holes.
16With a clearer picture, researchers hope to learn more about the black hole's properties and gravity in future studies.
17Medeiros said the team also plans to use machine learning on other images of space objects.
18This could include the black hole at the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
19The study's four writers are members of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project.
20It is an international effort begun in 2012 with the goal of directly observing a black hole's nearby environment.
21A black hole's event horizon is the point beyond which anything - stars, planets, gas, dust and all forms of electromagnetic radiation - can escape.
22Dimitrios Psaltis is an astrophysicist at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.
23He told Reuters news agency the main reason the first image had many gaps is because of where the observing telescopes sit.
24The telescopes operate from the tops of mountains and "are few and far apart from each other," Psaltis said.
25As a result, the telescope system has a lot of 'holes' and scientists can now use machine learning methods to fill in those gaps, he added.
26"The image we report in the new paper is the most accurate representation of the black hole image that we can obtain with our globe-wide telescope," Psaltis said.
27I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Scientists have released a more detailed version of the first image of a black hole. 2That first image, released four years ago, showed a blurry, round-shaped orange object. Now, researchers have used machine learning methods to create an improved picture. 3The new image was recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The same shape remains as in the first image, but it has a narrower ring and sharper resolution. 4Scientists have said the black hole in the image sits at the center of a galaxy called M87, more than 53 million light-years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year --- about 9.5 trillion kilometers. The mass of the black hole is 6.5 billion times greater than that of Earth's sun. 5A network of radio telescopes around the world gathered the data used to make the image. But even with many telescopes working together, holes remained in the data. In the latest study, scientists depended on the same data, but used machine learning methods to fill in the missing information. 6The resulting picture looks similar to the image, but with a thinner "doughnut" and a darker center, the researchers said. 7"For me, it feels like we're really seeing it for the first time," said the lead writer of the study, Lia Medeiros. She is an astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in New Jersey. 8She said it was the first time the team had used machine learning to fill in the data holes. 9With a clearer picture, researchers hope to learn more about the black hole's properties and gravity in future studies. Medeiros said the team also plans to use machine learning on other images of space objects. This could include the black hole at the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. 10The study's four writers are members of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project. It is an international effort begun in 2012 with the goal of directly observing a black hole's nearby environment. A black hole's event horizon is the point beyond which anything - stars, planets, gas, dust and all forms of electromagnetic radiation - can escape. 11Dimitrios Psaltis is an astrophysicist at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. He told Reuters news agency the main reason the first image had many gaps is because of where the observing telescopes sit. The telescopes operate from the tops of mountains and "are few and far apart from each other," Psaltis said. 12As a result, the telescope system has a lot of 'holes' and scientists can now use machine learning methods to fill in those gaps, he added. "The image we report in the new paper is the most accurate representation of the black hole image that we can obtain with our globe-wide telescope," Psaltis said. 13I'm Bryan Lynn. 14The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 15______________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17machine learning - n. the use of computer systems that are able to learn and adapt without following direct instructions 18resolution - n. a measure of the sharpness of an image 19galaxy - n. a very large group of stars held together in the universe 20doughnut - n. a small. Round, fried cake that usually has a hole in the middle 21accurate - adj. true and correct 22obtain - v. to get something 23_________________________________________________________________ 24What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.