Katie Bouman, the scientist who played a key role in the discovery of the black hole at the Milky Way's centre, has said that it is ''only the beginning.''

The 33-year-old, who is an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is already a veteran of two major scientific discoveries.

Bouman is an expert in computational imaging which requires developing algorithms to observe distant phenomena.

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She is an American engineer and computer scientist, who is famous for her CHIRP algorithm, which helped in the creation of the programme that led to the release of the first image of a black hole in a distant galaxy in 2019.

The global science superstar has now played a key role in the creation of a groundbreaking image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Speaking about the breakthrough announcement in an interview with AFP, she said, "The first one was just so exciting because it was the first one, and just being able to see a black hole for the first time was spectacular. But I think the holy grail of the Event Horizon Telescope has always been to image Sagittarius A*. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/theres-a-blackhole-4-million-times-the-size-of-sun-at-the-centre-of-milky-way-check-it-out-478429" hreflang="en">There's a blackhole 4 million times the size of sun at the centre of Milky Way. Check it out!</a>

"I think this is really only the beginning. And now that we know that we have these extreme laboratories of gravity, we can go back and we can improve our instruments and improve our algorithms in order to see more and to extract more science,'' she added.

According to Bouman, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) acted as a gamechanger as it is powerful enough to spot a golf ball on the moon.

She believes that the telescope, which is a network of radio dishes designed to detect the light cast when matter disappears into the maw of a black hole, is one of a number of remarkable astronomical ventures that in recent years have helped to expand our views of the universe.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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Katie Bouman, the scientist who played a key role in the discovery of the black hole at the Milky Way's centre, has said that it is ''only the beginning.'' The 33-year-old, who is an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is already a veteran of two major scientific discoveries.

Katie Bouman, the scientist who played a key role in the discovery of the black hole at the Milky Way's centre, has said that it is ''only the beginning.'' The 33-year-old, who is an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is already a veteran of two major scientific discoveries. Bouman is an expert in computational imaging which requires developing algorithms to observe distant phenomena. She is an American engineer and computer scientist, who is famous for her CHIRP algorithm, which helped in the creation of the programme that led to the release of the first image of a black hole in a distant galaxy in 2019. The global science superstar has now played a key role in the creation of a groundbreaking image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our own Milky Way galaxy. Speaking about the breakthrough announcement in an interview with AFP, she said, "The first one was just so exciting because it was the first one, and just being able to see a black hole for the first time was spectacular. But I think the holy grail of the Event Horizon Telescope has always been to image Sagittarius A*. Also read | There's a blackhole 4 million times the size of sun at the centre of Milky Way. Check it out! "I think this is really only the beginning. And now that we know that we have these extreme laboratories of gravity, we can go back and we can improve our instruments and improve our algorithms in order to see more and to extract more science,'' she added. According to Bouman, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) acted as a gamechanger as it is powerful enough to spot a golf ball on the moon. She believes that the telescope, which is a network of radio dishes designed to detect the light cast when matter disappears into the maw of a black hole, is one of a number of remarkable astronomical ventures that in recent years have helped to expand our views of the universe. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION's live TV here:

US researcher says seeing Milky Way's new black hole is 'only the beginning'

Astronomers have a bold new theory to explain how Earth transformed itself from a fiery, carbon-clouded ball of rocks into a planet capable of sustaining life.

The research, published in Nature, has been conducted by Yale University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

The theory covers Earth’s earliest years and involves “weird” rocks that interacted with seawater in just the right way to nudge biological matter into existence.

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“This period is the most enigmatic time in Earth history,” said Jun Korenaga, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Yale and co-author of a new study.

Most scientists believe that Earth began with an atmosphere much like that of the planet Venus. Its skies were filled with carbon dioxide,&nbsp;more than 100,000 times the current level of atmospheric carbon,&nbsp;and Earth’s surface temperature would have exceeded 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Biological life would have been unable to form, much less survive, under such conditions, scientists agree.

"Somehow, a massive amount of atmospheric carbon had to be removed," says planetary scientist Yoshinori Miyazaki, who is now working at the California Institute of Technology.

“Because there is no rock record preserved from the early Earth, we set out to build a theoretical model for the very early Earth from scratch.”

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Miyazaki and Korenaga combined aspects of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and atmospheric physics to build their model. Eventually, they settled on a pretty bold proposition: early Earth was covered with rocks that do not currently exist on Earth.

“These rocks would have been enriched in a mineral called pyroxene, and they likely had a dark greenish color,” Miyazaki said. “More importantly, they were extremely enriched in magnesium, with a concentration level seldom observed in present-day rocks.”

Miyazaki said magnesium-rich minerals react with carbon dioxide to produce carbonates, thereby playing a key role in sequestering atmospheric carbon.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-only-chance-in-catastrophe-astronomers-are-developing-ingenious-system-to-pulverise-asteroids-458293" hreflang="en">'Earth's only chance in catastrophe': Astronomers are developing ingenious system to pulverise asteroids</a>

The researchers suggest that as the molten Earth started to solidify, its hydrated, wet mantle, the planet’s 3,000-kilometres-thick rocky layer, convected vigorously. The combination of a wet mantle and high-magnesium pyroxenites dramatically sped up the process of pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere.

In fact, the researchers said the rate of atmospheric carbon sequestration would have been more than 10 times faster than would be possible with a mantle of modern-day rocks, requiring a mere 160 million years.

“As an added bonus, these ‘weird’ rocks on the early Earth would readily react with seawater to generate a large flux of hydrogen, which is widely believed to be essential for the creation of biomolecules,” Korenaga said.

The effect would be similar to a rare type of modern, deep-sea thermal vent, called the Lost City hydrothermal field, located in the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp;

The Lost City hydrothermal field’s abiotic production of hydrogen and methane has made it a prime location for investigating the origin of life on Earth.

“Our theory has the potential to address not just how Earth became habitable, but also why life emerged on it,” Korenaga added.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Astronomers have a bold new theory to explain how Earth transformed itself from a fiery, carbon-clouded ball of rocks into a planet capable of sustaining life. The research, published in Nature, has been conducted by Yale University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Astronomers have a bold new theory to explain how Earth transformed itself from a fiery, carbon-clouded ball of rocks into a planet capable of sustaining life. The research, published in Nature, has been conducted by Yale University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The theory covers Earth’s earliest years and involves “weird” rocks that interacted with seawater in just the right way to nudge biological matter into existence. Also see | Why has space business has become the final profitable frontier? “This period is the most enigmatic time in Earth history,” said Jun Korenaga, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Yale and co-author of a new study. Most scientists believe that Earth began with an atmosphere much like that of the planet Venus. Its skies were filled with carbon dioxide, more than 100,000 times the current level of atmospheric carbon, and Earth’s surface temperature would have exceeded 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Biological life would have been unable to form, much less survive, under such conditions, scientists agree. "Somehow, a massive amount of atmospheric carbon had to be removed," says planetary scientist Yoshinori Miyazaki, who is now working at the California Institute of Technology. “Because there is no rock record preserved from the early Earth, we set out to build a theoretical model for the very early Earth from scratch.” Also read | In a U-turn, scientists say black hole on our cosmic doorstep does not exist Miyazaki and Korenaga combined aspects of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and atmospheric physics to build their model. Eventually, they settled on a pretty bold proposition: early Earth was covered with rocks that do not currently exist on Earth. “These rocks would have been enriched in a mineral called pyroxene, and they likely had a dark greenish color,” Miyazaki said. “More importantly, they were extremely enriched in magnesium, with a concentration level seldom observed in present-day rocks.” Miyazaki said magnesium-rich minerals react with carbon dioxide to produce carbonates, thereby playing a key role in sequestering atmospheric carbon. Also read | 'Earth's only chance in catastrophe': Astronomers are developing ingenious system to pulverise asteroids The researchers suggest that as the molten Earth started to solidify, its hydrated, wet mantle, the planet’s 3,000-kilometres-thick rocky layer, convected vigorously. The combination of a wet mantle and high-magnesium pyroxenites dramatically sped up the process of pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere. In fact, the researchers said the rate of atmospheric carbon sequestration would have been more than 10 times faster than would be possible with a mantle of modern-day rocks, requiring a mere 160 million years. “As an added bonus, these ‘weird’ rocks on the early Earth would readily react with seawater to generate a large flux of hydrogen, which is widely believed to be essential for the creation of biomolecules,” Korenaga said. The effect would be similar to a rare type of modern, deep-sea thermal vent, called the Lost City hydrothermal field, located in the Atlantic Ocean. The Lost City hydrothermal field’s abiotic production of hydrogen and methane has made it a prime location for investigating the origin of life on Earth. “Our theory has the potential to address not just how Earth became habitable, but also why life emerged on it,” Korenaga added. (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers have a new theory on how former 'fireball' Earth became habitable

Scientists announced Wednesday the discovery of a black hole -- the oldest ever detected -- that shouldn't even exist according to the current understanding of cosmic monsters so dense not even light can escape their gravitational pull.

Born of a merger between two other black holes, GW190521 weighs in at 142 times the mass of our Sun and is the first "intermediate mass" black hole ever observed, two consortiums of some 1,500 scientists reported in a pair of studies.

"This event is a door opening into the cosmic process for the formation of black holes," co-author Stavros Katsanevas, an astrophysicist at the European Gravitational Observatory, said in an online press conference.&nbsp;

"It is a whole new world."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/this-is-when-the-universe-will-end-321273">Also read:&nbsp;This is when the universe will end!</a>

A so-called stellar-class black hole forms when a dying star collapses, and is typically three to ten solar masses in size. &nbsp;

Supermassive black holes found at the centre of most galaxies, including the Milky Way, range from millions to billions of solar masses.

Up to now, black holes with mass 100 to 1,000 times that of our Sun had never been found.

"This is the first evidence of a black hole in this mass range," said co-author Michaela, an astrophysicist at the University of Padova and a member of the Europe-based Virgo Collaboration.&nbsp;

"It may lead to a paradigm shift in the astrophysics of black holes."&nbsp;

The findings, she added, support the idea that supermassive black holes could be formed through the repeated merger of these mid-sized bodies.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/in-a-rare-event-astronomers-discover-saturn-like-planet-orbiting-small-cool-star-318644">Also read:&nbsp;In a rare event, astronomers discover Saturn-like planet orbiting small cool star</a>

What scientists actually observed were gravitational waves produced more than seven billion years ago when GW190521 was formed by the collision of two smaller black holes of 85 and 65 solar masses.

When they smashed together, eight solar masses worth of energy was released, creating one of the most powerful events in the Universe since the Big Bang.&nbsp;

Gravitational waves were first measured in September 2015, earning the lead researchers a physics Nobel two years later.

Albert Einstein anticipated gravitational waves in his general theory of relativity, which theorised that they spread through the Universe at the speed of light.

Challenge to current models

GW190521 was detected on May 21, 2019 by three interferometers, which can measure a change thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus as gravitational waves pass Earth.

According to current knowledge, the gravitational collapse of a star cannot form black holes in the range of 60 to 120 solar masses because -- at that size -- the stars are completely blown apart by the supernova explosion that accompanies collapse.

And yet, the two black holes that gave rise to GW190521 were both in the range.

"This event is a challenge for the current models of black hole formation," said Mapelli.

It is also a hint of how much is still not known.

"This detection confirms that there is a vast universe that has remained invisible to us," said Karan Jani, an astrophysicist with the Nobel-winning LIGO gravitational wave experiment.

"We have very limited theoretical and observational understanding of this elusive class of intermediate black hole."

But the very fact it could be detected is itself remarkable.

"Our ability to find a black hole a few hundred kilometres-wide from half-way across the Universe is one of the most striking realisations of this discovery," Jani added.

The two studies were published in Physical Review Letters, and Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) consortium is led by scientists at MIT and Caltech, while the Virgo collaboration includes more than 500 scientists across Europe.

Scientists announced Wednesday the discovery of a black hole -- the oldest ever detected -- that shouldn't even exist according to the current understanding of cosmic monsters so dense not even light can escape their gravitational pull.

Scientists announced Wednesday the discovery of a black hole -- the oldest ever detected -- that shouldn't even exist according to the current understanding of cosmic monsters so dense not even light can escape their gravitational pull. Born of a merger between two other black holes, GW190521 weighs in at 142 times the mass of our Sun and is the first "intermediate mass" black hole ever observed, two consortiums of some 1,500 scientists reported in a pair of studies. "This event is a door opening into the cosmic process for the formation of black holes," co-author Stavros Katsanevas, an astrophysicist at the European Gravitational Observatory, said in an online press conference. "It is a whole new world." Also read: This is when the universe will end! A so-called stellar-class black hole forms when a dying star collapses, and is typically three to ten solar masses in size. Supermassive black holes found at the centre of most galaxies, including the Milky Way, range from millions to billions of solar masses. Up to now, black holes with mass 100 to 1,000 times that of our Sun had never been found. "This is the first evidence of a black hole in this mass range," said co-author Michaela, an astrophysicist at the University of Padova and a member of the Europe-based Virgo Collaboration. "It may lead to a paradigm shift in the astrophysics of black holes." The findings, she added, support the idea that supermassive black holes could be formed through the repeated merger of these mid-sized bodies. Also read: In a rare event, astronomers discover Saturn-like planet orbiting small cool star What scientists actually observed were gravitational waves produced more than seven billion years ago when GW190521 was formed by the collision of two smaller black holes of 85 and 65 solar masses. When they smashed together, eight solar masses worth of energy was released, creating one of the most powerful events in the Universe since the Big Bang. Gravitational waves were first measured in September 2015, earning the lead researchers a physics Nobel two years later. Albert Einstein anticipated gravitational waves in his general theory of relativity, which theorised that they spread through the Universe at the speed of light. Challenge to current models GW190521 was detected on May 21, 2019 by three interferometers, which can measure a change thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus as gravitational waves pass Earth. According to current knowledge, the gravitational collapse of a star cannot form black holes in the range of 60 to 120 solar masses because -- at that size -- the stars are completely blown apart by the supernova explosion that accompanies collapse. And yet, the two black holes that gave rise to GW190521 were both in the range. "This event is a challenge for the current models of black hole formation," said Mapelli. It is also a hint of how much is still not known. "This detection confirms that there is a vast universe that has remained invisible to us," said Karan Jani, an astrophysicist with the Nobel-winning LIGO gravitational wave experiment. "We have very limited theoretical and observational understanding of this elusive class of intermediate black hole." But the very fact it could be detected is itself remarkable. "Our ability to find a black hole a few hundred kilometres-wide from half-way across the Universe is one of the most striking realisations of this discovery," Jani added. The two studies were published in Physical Review Letters, and Astrophysical Journal Letters. The LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) consortium is led by scientists at MIT and Caltech, while the Virgo collaboration includes more than 500 scientists across Europe.

Scientists detect mysterious 'intermediate mass' black hole

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