A Research Scientist at Stanford University has first detected a light coming from behind a Black Hole. While watching X-rays from the Supermassive Black Hole at the centre of a Galaxy 800 million light years away, Astrophysicist Dan Wilkins noticed a pattern of light. The strange discovery, is detailed in a paper published on July 28 in Nature, is the first direct observation of light from behind a black hole.
According to a report published by Phys.Org, Astrophysicist Dan Wilkins noticed an intriguing pattern – series of bright flares of X-rays. The telescopes recorded something unexpected – additional flashes of X-rays that were smaller and of different colors than the bright flares.
What is a Black Hole
A Black Hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is very strong. Due to this phenomenon, no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light can escape from a Black Hole. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. Because no light can get out of a Black Hole, people cannot see Black Holes. They are hence invisible but Space Telescopes having special tools can detect Black Holes.
Detection of Light from Behind a Black Hole
Dan Wilkins is a Research Scientist at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Dan Wilkins said “Any light that goes into that black hole doesn’t come out, so we shouldn’t be able to see anything that’s behind the black hole”. He further explained that another strange characteristic of the Black Hole makes this observation possible. He explained “The reason we can see that is because that black hole is warping space, bending light and twisting magnetic fields around itself”.
Source of Information: Report Published on Phys.Org dated 28th July 2021.
Read the full report here
