First-Ever Picture of a Black Hole Unveiled

A National Geographic article by Nadia Drake

___________________________________________

About two weeks ago, a team of over two hundred scientists released the first ever picture of a black hole. Ironically, the photo captures more of what is known as the event horizon, since the black hole is a generally a void of darkness and is the shadow-like circle in the center of the ring. The event horizon is the threshold surrounding the black hole in which not even light can escape it’s monstrous gravitational pull. See below:

Picture of the supermassive black hole at the center of Galaxy M87

No matter if the picture is clear or not, it is an impressive feat to say the least. Creating the image took over two years to complete, requiring several teams of scientists to assemble five petabytes of collected data. To put that in perspective, five petabytes is equivalent to the estimated data storage of two human brains — for one image.

The scientists also explain that this picture helps to confirm (for the most part) some of Albert Einstein’s theories, including the famous theory of relativity. In fact, the image, which was collaborated on by observatories around the globe, can tell us a lot about this particular black hole. For instance, based on the data that was collected, it has been estimated that this gargantuan black hole has the mass of around 6.5 billion Suns, and that it’s event horizon could possibly stretch farther than 120 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

___________________________________________

The potential impact of this photo and the research that was done cannot be understated. Movies like Interstellar (2014) have long taken guesses at what a black hole would actually look like, and some of those guesses came surprisingly close to the actual image. Personally, I find it incredibly impressive that such predictions can even be made with the minimal knowledge that we currently have about black holes. The photo will likely fuel research on black holes for years to come, particularly when the same team of scientists release the picture of the black hole at the center of our own galaxy, which they were working on in concert to that of M87.

From a more political standpoint, nothing stood out to me more than the fact that this was an international endeavor. Six observatories, including stations in Hawaii, Arizona, Mexico, Chile, Spain, and Antarctica, participated in the data collection process and utilized the skills of scientists from several countries to complete such an ambitious project. It is breakthroughs like these which often exemplify that the best advances in science or technology are created when the world comes together. I couldn’t imagine what the world might accomplish, if all of a sudden, humanity did away with greed and hate; if humanity prevailed with the morals that which make us human, and progress became a global mission, then the stars are the limit. Nothing shows the potential of a world where everyone works together more than these moments.

This semester, I decided to take Linear Algebra. It is a required course for my intended major, and I had met all the prerequisites for enrolling in the class. Linear Algebra turned out to very different from any type of mathematics I had ever learned before.

As a visual learner, I seemed to academically grasp classes like geometry, algebra, and even calculus better than this particular class; linear algebra frequently involves of abstract ideas and concepts that are naturally challenging to visualize. Consequently, I struggled to get the hang of the material.

Inevitably, my lack of thorough understanding of the various concepts on the midterms led to a few undesirable scores. Interestingly, though I tested below average for the midterms, I managed to receive above average marks for the weekly quizzes. Nevertheless, I was determined to heighten my overall knowledge of the material, which I still often find unclear and confusing.

This experience of struggling with coursework is fairly new to me, as I am sure it is for many freshman students at Ohio State. As one of the top students in my high school, I rarely needed to strain to ‘get it’, or be successful with my academics. But classes like Linear Algebra that I have taken in my first two semesters in college have really opened my eyes to the amount of work I really need to put in. My time management skills have improved. I have reduced some bad procrastination habits. I have learned to be at peace with myself if I receive a less-than-desirable grade (not satisfied, but not distraught).

Overall, I have to say that I am glad I decided to take Linear Algebra. It may be challenging, and I’m still not in the clear yet (the final is in a week – fingers crossed!), but I believe I have gained valuable experiences that will help me in the future.

It really does seem like my first semester flew by. It must be the constant barrage of tests and homework that flood my time and mind every week that keep me distracted from the days that disappear. Unlike high school, college has no pauses, no lulls in the pace of work. It’s taken some time to adjust to the lifestyle, and I know for sure that I haven’t seen the worst of it.

I’ve done well, for the most part, in all of my classes. Then again, finals is coming up faster than I feel comfortable with, and I know the impact of a poor performance on a final can really mess up a transcript. The good thing is, I’ve developed into a more diligent worker over the course of the semester. I am confident in my ability to put in the necessary work and effort to get the grade I want. I’ve learned what it takes to succeed in college classes: time and focus. Not only is it important to organize my time effectively, but it is equally important to use the time efficiently. The bad habits of procrastination that I learned in my high school years, though sometimes still rearing their head, have largely been eliminated.

Currently, I am working on my organizational skills, as I have found myself struggling to manage everything on my plate as the semester comes to a close. Scholars requirements, Engineers Without Borders obligations, classes, tests, etc.; it’s quickly becoming overwhelming. Thanksgiving break was a nice breather, but I found myself coming out of it even more stressed, because of upcoming important dates and responsibilities. Hopefully, I can better manage my stress and schedule more effectively in the future.

I find it kind of funny how some of my classes have multiple midterms throughout the semester. In my high school experiences, a midterm was a cumulative test taken at the middle point of the year. At Ohio State, rather, the word midterm is used more generally, as just a large test. Not a huge deal, just something that I had to adjust myself to as I worked myself into my first year at University.

Studying for a midterm was not much different from studying for any other test — usually, it only differs by the amount of time I put into practicing the material. Three of my classes have at least two midterms, the last of which I took today. The first midterms I had were, unfortunately, somewhat disappointing. My scores, I felt, did not reflect what I had hoped they would. I can only assume that I did not put in the necessary effort to walk out of those tests with the grades I wanted.

Historically, I’ve never been a fast worker, which is what I told myself after I left some questions blank due to time constraints. Later, I realized that I likely would have been able to finish the test in the first place had I been more comfortable with the material. Studying and practicing the content increases your efficiency and fluency with the required knowledge for each of the problems. For this reason, I made the choice to dedicate more time to practice classwork. Whether it’s watching YouTube tutorials, or doing worksheets, nothing can hurt from extra work. Though I have not yet received my scores back from the exams I took most recently, I can say that not only did I succeed in completing every question on the tests, but I feel significantly more confident in the answers that I gave for those questions than I did for my first midterms. Looking forward to seeing the results!

As a student currently on the path to major in an engineering field, the 2018 Engineering Expo  seemed like a great chance to gain some insight in regards to my career choice. The Expo took place on the 25th and 26th of September at the Ohio Union, where dozens of co-op, internship, and other opportunities are available to undergrads. However, from speaking with several other underclassmen with previous years experience, I learned that representatives of companies are generally not interested in first year students. That, on top of the fact that my resume is relatively incomplete, is the reason why I decided not to partake in the expo as an aspiring career candidate, but instead chose to volunteer.

Volunteering at the Engineering Expo helped me accomplish several things. First, I was able to accumulate more of the required hours for my scholars program. Second, and most importantly, I earned a perspective for how the process at the Expo works. I was able to get a close-up look at the type of activities I will be more and more involved in as I grow as a student and potential intern/employee.

Hopefully, this experience prepared me for future Expos so that I might be more comfortable in this environment. Such an important, formal, and competitive market of opportunities can be stressful to an individual that isn’t acclimated to the process. I am glad that I was there to learn about what goes on, and I have no doubt it will prove useful.