The supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy Messier 87 was revamped for the first time by a new machine-learning technique called PRIMO, or principal-component interferometric modeling. The redone image keeps the original shape of the black hole but increases the resolution, displaying a fuller center and narrower outer ring.
The image, published Thursday morning in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, will allow scientists to gain a better understanding of its characteristics and increase further research in additional galaxies, including the black hole at the heart of our Milky Way.Creators of PRIMO, a team of researchers along with an astronomer with NSF’s NOIRLab, used data received from the Event Horizon Telescope, which created the original image in 2019, to create a high-quality resolution.
“With our new machine learning technique, PRIMO, we were able to achieve the maximum resolution of the current array,” Lia Medeiros said, lead author of the Institute for Advanced Study. “Since we cannot study black holes up-close, the detail of an image plays a critical role in our ability to understand its behavior. The width of the ring in the image is now smaller by about a factor of two, which will be a powerful constraint for our theoretical models and tests of gravity.
The iconic image of the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87, has received its first official makeover, thanks to a new machine-learning technique known as PRIMO! https://t.co/Lg8yQl0kCk 🧵⬇️ pic.twitter.com/guYS1siJzsTo rework the image, computers analyzed more than 30,000 simulated images of black holes accreting gas, searching for common patterns in the structure of the image, and blended them to create a model.
“The 2019 image was just the beginning,” said Medeiros in the photo release. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, the data underlying that image have many more stories to tell. PRIMO will continue to be a critical tool in extracting such insights.”
Education Education Latest News, Education Education Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: SPACEdotcom - 🏆 92. / 67 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »