“We already know Einstein’s theory of gravity is fraying around the edges,” said Andrea Ghez, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.”
What’s the evidence for the fraying?
6
Amazing!
2
Am I correct in surmising that the fate of all galaxies is to be each sucked into its growing black hole, faster and faster, as the Thing gains size-based pull?
So, given the age of this universe, could it be that the Dark Matter is black holes surrounded by enough empty space that the major portion of the universe shows as inertness?
And the fate of Dark Energy is—awful fantasy now—that this universe, trillions of years from now, becomes just so many black holes “infinitely” distant from each other in so much empty Nothingness?
In any case, the ultimate meaning of life has to be the joy of being here and, for me, loving the experience of learning that never ends until it ends. Be well. Love being.
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"Black holes — objects so dense that not even light can escape them — are a surprise consequence of Einstein’s general theory of relativity..."
Not so much a surprise consequence as an inevitable consequence of gravity as described by Einstein's theory.
4
I don't really understand anything about the cosmos or astrophysics but I am entranced. Just Wow! Why would anyone just want to turn this over to "God." That is such a limiting notion. This stuff is limitless and far more interesting.
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The caption doesn't say it, but I think the ray of light emanating from the Very Large Telescope is for its laser guide star, part of its adaptive optics system. Essentially the laser will lights atoms high in Earth's atmosphere, and the distortion of the light from those atoms is used to direct the adaptive optics that correct for atmospheric distortion.
For more, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_optics#Artificial_guide_stars
7
Relativity and Quantum Mechanic theory are not reconcilable. And neither theory can explain the 70% of reality that is a force called dark energy and the 25% of reality that is a mass called dark matter.
1
It's an informative and attractive video, but I had to stop it at 2:46 as the music under the narration was too distracting for me.
1
It’s not surprising that, like other orders of magnitude in the universe, our own neighborhood might possess a nucleus of its own. Centers with outliers rotating around them seem to be a common theme, from atoms to galaxies.
4
RECONCILIATION
The trouble is:
Our understanding of space-time,
And gravity in particular,
Is built from Einstein’s equations of general relativity,
Whereas the extreme conditions of the very early universe
Can only be described by quantum mechanics -
No one knows how to reconcile the two.
And has Rovelli has explained:
‘The sun bends space around itself
And the Earth does not turn around it because of a mysterious force
But because it is racing directly in a space which inclines,
Like a marble that rolls in a funnel.
There are no mysterious forces generated at the centre of the funnel;
It is the curved nature of the walls which causes the marble to roll.
In short, the general theory of relativity
Describes a colourful and amazing world where universes explode,
Space collapses into bottomless holes,
Time sags and slows near a planet,
And the unbounded extensions of interstellar space
Ripple and sway like the surface of the sea’.
As for quantum mechanics
It seems that all exists in a haze of probability
So that we have a certain chance of being
At Point A
Another chance of being at Point B ...
Ad infinitum.
And what is true of mass
Is also true of a particle's other properties,
Like its momentum, energy and spin
Such that there will always be imprecision -
As this is a fundamental property.
So my stars
My loved ones
I might never have found you
In the crowd
And my universe might never have become.
12
Very unfortunately, scientists here are keeping wasting public funds on projects based on the totally wrong theory - Einstein's relativity which can be directly disproved as follows:
In the framework of special relativity, the status of each physical process is determined by the product of relativistic time and its developing rate in each inertial reference frame such as the height of a tree which is the product of relativistic time and its growth rate. After Lorentz Transformation, relativistic time will expand by factor gamma and the developing rate will shrink by the same factor gamma (similar to the transverse Doppler-effect) to make the status i.e. the product of relativistic time and the developing rate unchanged. That is, the status of any physical process will be the same observed in all inertial reference frames.
As the reading of any physical clock is always represented by the status of a physical process such as the digital display of an atomic clock which is the product of relativistic time and its frequency divided by a calibration constant. According to the above conclusion, the display of each physical clock will be the same observed from all inertial reference frames, i.e., they are absolute as demonstrated by the universal synchronization of the atomic clocks on the ground and GPS satellites, completely different from relativistic time. Based on such an meaningless artificial time, all special relativity describes is irrelevant to the physical phenomena.
1
@Peace wanted
There will always be room for a few kooks!
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@Peace wanted
I'm not even sure what you are trying to say here. If you are trying to argue that relativity predicts that any clock will display the same time, that is false. Relativity predicts that the rate of time observed will vary depending on speed and gravity, that's one of its most basic predictions. The fact that it says that time is relative is one of the reasons why its called relativity.
If on the other hand you are arguing its wrong because time dilation doesn't exist, that is again false. Time dilation has been shown to exist by numerous experiments such as putting atomic clocks on planes to measure the effect do to speed, or up in geostationary orbit to measure the effect due to gravity. In both cases they record time dilation and in the predicted amount.
Trying to use time dilation to refute Relativity is quite frankly baffling, its one of the strongest supports of Relativity. It is one of its most basic and accurate predictions.
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I'm curious about the mechanics of our swirling galaxy, which I used to think would compare to the mechanics of a hurricane. In other words, why is the center of our galaxy not like the eye of a hurricane, which contains calm? Are other galaxies' eyes more like a storm's eye? If so, why are there differences?
1
@George Oliver
The analogy to a hurricane is not valid. You're going by the appearance of spiral galaxies (galaxies come in many other shapes and no shape at all) as compared to the appearance of hurricanes as photographed from space. The center of a galaxy is not quiescent because gravity has jammed lots of stars together in a relatively small volume. Supernova explosions may lead to black holes, as may stars colliding (because they have been orbiting closely and are shedding rotational energy as gravitational waves). For the eye of a hurricane, please see https://www.livescience.com/15805-calm-hurricane-eye.html.
6
Nature reports that it's 3% of the speed of light, not 30%
6
How many physicists would it take to figure out the amount of money that’s been spent confirming the things that Albert Einstein visualized?
Uncertain. Find an accountant.
3
Articles like this underscore how miniscule, petty, and insignificant humans with their selfish and unimportant issues, both positive and negative, really are.
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This is absolutely the greatest, most fascinating news I have read in a LONG time, "relatively" speaking!!
8
2
This event horizon is tearing me to pieces.
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Thank you Dennis for bring us this exciting science! As an astronomy fan I had not heard about the observations of the gas clouds.
I would be surprised to hear of any serious astronomers who doubt the existence of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way. So this is not about (re)confirming its existence as much as about learning all we can about it, a very worthwhile enterprise.
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Target number one for a hacker, is to examine where in the OS the code stops functioning.
2
Thank you Dennis for dragging my thoughts away from the geopolitical madness happening around the world, to the things that really matter like learning about and contemplating our universe which is so magnificent. Articles like this are a breath of fresh air when it otherwise smells so foul.
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My concern, given our current geopolitical direction, that our ability to appreciate such cosmic beauty and wonders will be censored by the arising autocracies. This cannot be turned easily into propaganda. I am hoping for a future where hominids may continue to appreciate more deeply our cosmos and our place in it. Thank you for something so beautiful and profound.
3
Extremely hard for a lay person to get one's head around the science and yet so mesmerizing and grand. 'If' there is a god behind all of this it's certainly not the earth based religions definition or belief. The insignificance of humans in the grand scheme of things belies the incredibly short sighted, stupid, and irrational beliefs we all live by.
Go out today and take a deep breath, forget all technology, ideology and idiot-ology. Smile and live your life.
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I really like when brilliant people expand our universe of understanding. The LHC located at CERN/Geneva Switzerland IMHO is a superb model of what can be achieved by the most brilliant people from around the world. The Higgs Bozon/God Particle was found to have a energy level measured at 125GEV.
The CERN researchers predicated a perfect energy level for the Standard Model would have a energy level of 115GEV and MultiVerse Universe would have a energy level of around 150GEV. Thankfully we are apparently living in a Standard Model Universe. This suggests to me that we can possibly live to see how our Universe functions in our life times.
Virtually everyone who has an awareness or education sees the perils for our planet due to global warming. Having traveled around the world for 18 months and having seen the beauty of wonderful places like the Maldives, how can the citizens of the world let this happen?
The nuclear accident at Chernoble was caused by stupid reactor workers playing Russian Roulette. The Fukashima disaster was caused by a tsunami. Most of the world's nuclear reactors were designed for our nuclear powered ships and due to having immediate proximity oceans of cooling water, they have worked very well. At the Idaho National Laboratory, researchers there have developed a test reactor that virtually reduces the chance of a disaster to zero. Senator Nunn GA, have made an agreement with the Russians to convert nuclear fuel for bombs to fuel for reactors!
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@Butch Burton and the nuclear waste goes where?
@Jim Same place all the rest of the trash created by humans goes ... into the planet.
1
"new data suggests it is a black hole"
new
Got it.
Somehow I must be ahead of the curve. This is not New data.
It is Confirmational.
As in. Scientists have a LOT of data SUGGESTING a black hole at the center of the Galaxy (all galaxies actually) for decades.
Science Journalism: Oxymoron?
4
@Mike
Snarky condescending know-it-all with probably nothing to show or share- Maximoron?
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@Mike The prior data allowed scientists to propose a hypothesis that there is a black hole at the center of the galaxy; the new data is the first step in testing that hypothesis. Whether a hypothesis is "suggesting" is a matter of semantics, not astrophysics. As more data are collected it may be possible to refute that hypothesis or to confirm it to physic's 5-sigma standard. It will be years before enough of the needed data are collected to reach a conclusion.
10
Ah the irony. This incredible acheivment of intellect and engineering shows the wonderful heights to which homo spapiens can soar. What a pity that the rest of us can't even learn to curb our consumer greed so as not to insure the destruction of our own beautiful planet. Tragic.
36
@kevo, all too true and sad. At the current rate, I expect in 20-30 years a "caravan" of a billion or more people to be fleeing the newly uninhabitable tropics and subtropics, heading north and south, while the feeding capacity of the temperate zones declines, all caused by the global heating about which we are doing almost nothing. Not to mention the decimation of the animal kingdom by habitat destruction and industrial fishing, thus undermining the Earth's ability to maintain the environment in which humanity has flourished. I fear the greatest discoveries of science will be coming as civilization falls apart.
I wish I could believe otherwise, but instead we have fools governing (not only in the U.S.A.) as if we were assured of infinitely many tomorrows.
4
We mortals are but shadows and dust. Shadows and dust.
4
On a beautiful spring morning this year, I was given a tour of LIGO in Livingston, LA by Dr. Gabriela Gonzales, professor of physcs and astronomy at LSU. Nothing, not even my aged BS in physics, would have adequately prepared me for all I learned that day. The work of those dedicated scientists (Nobel Prize stuff) and those in this article cannot help but inspire awe. That something so far away and so massive, or in the case of gravitational waves, from so far away and so small to be detected, is not the stuff of science fiction but of hard, real science.
I won't be around to see it, but if dark matter truly can push the galaxies and everything in them farther and farther away, perhaps the distance between objects will be so vast that light from anything else will never reach them; there would be an immense darkness. We would become, in some sense, a black hole from which light cannot escape.
Better than any stories I read on social media or on streaming channels. Why would any student today not want to do this kind of science?
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@Larry Heimendinger maybe they're being dissuaded from entering the field due to constant deep funding cuts and scorn from the religious right who believe tax cuts and defunding scientific endeavors somehow brings them closer to their imaginary creator and ruler of the universe? Science is a thankless field at the moment.
8
@Larry Heimendinger
Minor correction: dark matter appears to be the stuff that corrals the baryonic matter in galaxies and holds them together. It's dark energy that is the prime suspect in the increasingly rapid expansion of space.
1
Great artistic realization of a difficult to picture phenomenon. Our universe becomes more complicated and scary-beautiful with each generation that turns its attention to what's going on out there. (It sure can beat what's going on down here. Beam me up Scotty!)
I personally loved the speaker's hunky pathos, too.
4
But this is the same group of people who want us to believe that all of those suns were once compacted into a dot smaller than the pixel on a T.V. Personally, I have a hard time reconciling those two theories, because that's both what they are.
@Richard Mclaughlin
I think you should consider reviewing the definition of theory.
17
@Richard McLaughlin science is not a one and done field. Theories are meant to be constantly tested and retested as new evidence and theories come up. There is no bible of science- it is a living, evolving endeavor.
Also, are you *sure* it's the same people or are you maybe generalizing a little bit with your statement sir?
4
@Richard Mclaughlin, it's okay. No one is expecting you to reconcile them.
5
What a fabulous story, and what en exemplary hard science article. Kudos.
15
Reading articles like this really emphasize the paradox of how insignificant we really are on the one hand, yet part of this massive chaos. Galaxies aren't just nurseries for planets, they're incubators for life.
On some clear early mornings, when I'm taking out some trash or recycling, and my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, I stare up and marvel..
37
Awesome, spectacular video! More please.
9
Dennis -- you are a poet of the stars! Please keep at it.
8
When in Tucson Arizona, schedule a tour of The University of Arizona Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, where these giant mirrors are manufactured. https://mirrorlab.arizona.edu/
7
I always loved the Earl Warren quote "I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures."
That's how I feel about science reporting, especially Dennis Overbye's.
55
Someone should have pointed out to Earl Warren that the sports pages are filled with stories about human failure.
2
" For now, shrink-wrapping 4 million suns worth of mass into a volume just 45 minutes around was a pretty good feat “for a small boy from the countryside."
Is this a blooper? "45 minutes around" is the time to do the orbit not a measurement of distance or volume.
The gas at 30% the speed of light takes 45 minutes to go around a 150 million mile orbit, according to the text. 2piD=150, so solving for D = 24.3 million mile diameter and 12 million mile radius. That's tighter than the radius of Mercury to the sun and so it's pretty impressive optical engineering.
But the 4 million suns' of mass is not defined by that orbit. That's the gas orbiting outside the event horizon. The diameter of the event horizon from one side to the other would be even smaller, so calling it "45 minutes around" is not only an odd unit of measurement it overstates the actual volume.
1
@gnowell - how many times have you said something like “I live five minutes from the grocery store?” I colloquial conversation, distance and time are often used interchangeably if the speed can be assumed.
That being said, in this case, the way it was stated was more precise than if he has done it with an actual distance, since the quantity directly measured is the time, while the speed can only be inferred from relativistic orbital mechanics.
It’s true, the 45 minutes around overstates the physical volume in which the volume resides - but it is a firm observational constraint in it, while nothing (yet published) constrains it further.
8
agree, of course, with all the comments so far...if only the thrilling awe and wonder produced by investigations such as this (and others, whether of the outer universe or here on our home planet and galaxy) could enter the world's imagination sufficiently to bring us all together, and eliminate strife, discord and violence...
21
One would have to be incredibly ignorant of scientific findings on the Milky Way to think that this is an issue. The evidence has been overwhelming for more than a decade.
6
Oh the wonders of our vast universe...even greater than Trump!
3
Wait, I read the entire article and there was no mention of presidential concerns that migrant caravans were threatening to enter the US and destroy our telescopes, or that Einsteins theory was in fact a Soros manipulated plot to achieve intergalactic control. Just science, pure and elegant science, that mankind somehow discovers when we are at our best.
33
@Steven, yes, thank you, this article was a refreshment and a joy for my politically-jaded mind.
4
The United States need to stop mucking around and get the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) built on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The American astronomical community is falling perilously far behind the Europeans in terms of telescope availability. At the rate they are going, they will soon be relegated to spectators. As can be gleaned from this saga of Sgr A*, uncovering the true nature of celestial objects takes a long time and a lot of hard work.
This supermassive BH at the Galactic Center has ties to decades-old studies of quasar jets, active galactic nuclei, the original discovery of the radio, infrared, and x-ray emission associated with Sgr A*, earlier studies of the motions of gas and unresolved giant and supergiant stars in the infrared orbiting the Galactic Center, and now these Ghez/Genzel studies using modern adaptive optics techniques which are ultimately paving the way for the EHT to directly image the shadow of the black hole at the Galactic Center. (The SMBH at the GC is much farther away than nearby stellar-mass black holes, but it is much larger in radius and so makes the biggest angle on the sky.)
We need to keep ourselves in the game by adequately funding necessary technology and investing in people, from elementary-school to graduate school to senior research scientists. While climate change is at the front of the news, and rightly so, we need to vigorously promote all areas of science, or we will be left behind. And we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
25
@Blue Moon Agreed, though the real news here is the successful operation of interferometric light based observations. Sky and Telescope recently ran an article on Sag A* and the accompanying photo showed hundreds of stars crammed into a space no bigger than the gap between the components of E1 Lyrae (one of the two pairs of the "double double" in Lyra). I am more than a little curious to know what such resolving power can do for exo-planets.
1
@Blue Mooni
Part of the reason this observatory isn’t up is because of the objections of Native Hawaiians who regard the area as sacred ground.
3
@Llewis
International co-operation is at the heart of almost all these astronomical discoveries. Similarly, it will take sitting down, patiently listening, respecting and helping the native Hawaiins to get the Hawaiin Telescope built.
Their religion is, when you consider what this article is about, neither more nor less relevant than other religions. Build community! Build bigger, more diverse communities!! Learn!!!
So...we should all grab a coffee or a chai or a kava and go sit down with a group of people who have a different world view and practice this; it is the key to our survival.
4
The video is a great illustration for the ideas! The language was at times florid and too dramatic: "dark monster," "bottomless gullet," "Tombstone" for matter and space-time, "silhouette of doom." This type of narration distracts from (and belittles) the remarkable discoveries the video illustrates. No doubt the drama is intended to attract general readers, but are we aiming at 8 year olds, or adults, or both? You insult the intelligence of whatever the target demographic - 8 year olds in particular deserve better.
6
Amazing.
3
I’v had a running argument with my daughter for 29 years that every item of matter, no matter how large or a mall, is a black hole. She thinks I’m crazy. This article helps keep me on the streets a little longer.
5
When I read this article, my thoughts turned to ‘Great Sky River’ by Gregory Benford
1
Thanks.
A wonderful article.
As a CALTECH graduate - I am surprised that my school does not feature in this "trolling of a monster."
One question - what was our military doing with infrared detectors.
As an aside, I knew some of the Kecks who have donated large sums to CALTECH. And one reason I got my start in the oil patch because I worked for a young Keck - so long ago.
1
@Neil What was the military doing with infrared detectors?
Looking for humans and engines and gun barrels that give off heat so that they could destroy them of course.
1
Quick question for the author. The article states that S-2 gets as close as 11 billion miles from the putative black hole. Is that correct?
This is a very interesting article.
4
General Relativity and Quantum mechanics are seen as different when they are in fact part of a whole. Any understanding of our universe must see “one” universe instead of “unified” components of what we see. Also, we observe the universe from a point of consciousness trapped in linear time and three dimensions. Any in depth understanding should begin by the attempt to hypothesize time as a dimension rather than a linear experience of cause and effect. When time is seen as non-linear, cause and effect become absurd.
This is one of the many reasons why I subscribe to the Times. A dose of scientific wonderment isn't the antidote to this horrible moment in our nation's history but it sure helps maintain one's perspective.
68
Working to better understand the universe is a potent symbol of human potential and a service to all humanity. This story is "good news" at its best. Science matters.
83
This is what it's all about to be human. Great article.
48
An inspirational article !
Humanity is at its best when we are understanding the universe; seeking truth; curing disease; caring for the sick; feeding the hungry; nurturing our young; protecting the weak; creating art; writing music and literature; breaking down prejudice; enacting just laws; creating safe inclusive communities; sharing the fruits of human progress; protecting Earth's life-sustaining ecosystems; choosing love over hate; and when individual freedom and respect for others always walk side-by-side.
Even as poor quality political parties and malevolent leaders try to drag us into ideological black holes from which escape can be extremely difficult, we should all take the time to gaze at the starry night sky.
Is the here and now as good as it could possibly be ?
What challenges have we not yet had the courage to accept ?
What great things are yet to be done ?
What problems must we solve ?
94
What a tremendous piece & the accompanying video is stunning. Great job.
77
Wow you guys, thank you for the beautiful, intense graphic video, and the wonderful article. Great work, everybody. Fantastic!
38
What a wonderful read. Sent it on to one of the former Director-Generals of the European Southern Observatory. The VLT is his pride and joy, and having him share stories of its planning, construction and scientific contributions makes his eyes shine.
For visitors and residents of Munich: the ESO recently opened an incredible visitor centre (ESO Supernova), including an imax planetarium. I can highly recommend it, with children or just as a fascinated adult.
40
Astrophysics should be taught to our children before they become jaded. The wonder of it all still enthralls me in my twilight years.
108
@hb--If you haven't already, I humbly suggest reading the book, "The Big Picture" by Sean Carroll. I think you might find it enlightening.
Fantastic article and video. Bravo NYT! More of this!
37
Dr. Overbye speaks poetry--beautiful!
23
Thank you for this eloquent and illuminating article about recent discoveries in "extreme astrophysics." I enjoyed the subject matter, the revelations and insights, the strangeness and specificity of it all, and the attention to words and names. I especially enjoyed Dr. Genzel's words, "All of the sudden, we can see 1,000 times fainter than before." To see fainter than before--that is a worthy endeavor, whether in physics or in poetry. I look forward to hearing how this research proceeds.
47
@Diana Senechal One thousand times fainter...in physics, poetry, ........ Loren Eiseley's poem
"Say That The Gift Was Given" may be of interest.
5
@Thomas Thank you!
2
Really, I only understood a small portion of that but what a fantastic read nonetheless. Thrilling. The video is a great accompaniment.
25