That first black hole at the center of Galaxy M87 seen in the Event Horizon Telescope image is now called “Pōwehi” from the Kumulipo, a centuries-old Hawaiian creation chant of 2,102 lines; it means “the adorned fathomless dark creation.” It stems from “pō,” which means powerful, unfathomable and ceaseless creation, and “wehi,” an honorific befitting someone who would wear a crown, according to it’s benefactor, Larry Kimura, a professor of Hawaiian language with the University of Hawai’i.
“We are giving humanity its first view of a black hole — a one-way door out of our universe,” said EHT project director Sheperd S. Doeleman of the Center for Astrophysics, of yesterday’s release of the image of the massive black hole at the center of elliptical galaxy M87 as it was 55 million years ago “This is a landmark in astronomy, an unprecedented scientific feat accomplished by a team of more than 200 researchers.”
It’s finally here! The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow.
The “groundbreaking result” from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project will be announced on Wednesday, April 10 at 9 a.m via six press conferences will be held simultaneously around the globe. This includes one by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), which is being held in Washington D.C’s National Press Club and will be chaired by director France Córdova. (more…)
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