Jun
13

Cosmic Journey II: Voyage into the Abyss

Black holes. What are they good for? Absolutely something!

This time on Sidedoor, hitch a ride on the Chandra X-ray Observatory as it scours deep space in search of these enigmatic and misunderstood objects. We’ll find out how observational data from telescopes like Chandra are being used to create visual and sonic experiences that can help us make sense of black holes and the role they play in our universe.

NASA photo of launch of space shuttle Columbia in 1999

Space Shuttle Columbia rockets into the night sky on July 23, 1999. Mission STS-93 included deploying the Chandra X-Ray Observatory into orbit. Photograph by Huntsville Times/Eric Schultz, courtesy of NASA.

Speakers

Artists rendering of supermassive black holw

A labeled artist’s impression of a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole surrounded by an accretion disc. This thin disc of rotating material consists of the leftovers of a Sun-like star which was ripped apart by the tidal forces of the black hole. Credit: ESO, ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser/N. Bartmann

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Links & Extras

Infrared image of black hole

Supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is located in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al., IR: NASA/STScI

This episode was the second in a two-part journey. Hear all about the research and rivalry that launched our modern understanding of black holes in Cosmic Journey I: “Stellar Buffoonery” by visiting si.edu/sidedoor or subscribing on your podcast platform of choice.

Transcript

Sidedoor (S10E20) – Chandra Part 2 final web transcript


Posted: 13 June 2024
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