What does a black hole really look like?
Robert Wilson: The pictures they've probably seen are simulations of what we ought to see.
Nobel Laureate Robert Wilson explains how scientists are seeking ways to reveal a black hole's true form.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Wilson: There are something like seven different telescopes in different parts of the world. In Hawaii, Arizona, Chile, Mexico, South Pole, Spain...And they can all sort of work together to make a sort of Earth-sized telescope. And we hope that in the end, when we get all this working correctly, that we'll be able to see transient events. And really get a picture of what a black hole looks like and its surroundings.
CREDITS
Executive Producer
Eliene Augenbraun
Producer
Lydia Chain
Videography
Eliene Augenbraun
Black Hole Images
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/
CI Lab
NASA/Swift/Aurore Simonnet,
Sonoma State Univ.
NASA, ESA, and D. Coe, J. Anderson,
and R. van der Marel (STScI)
Special Thanks
Robert Wilson
92nd Street Y
Claudia Dreifus
Andrew Krucoff
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber