What can black holes tell us about our universe?

On Wednesday, September 14 at 19:30 GMT:
A black hole is believed to be the most extreme environment in the universe – an area in space where the force of gravity is so intense, not even light can escape. But how much do scientists really know about black holes, and what purpose do they serve?

Once deemed purely theoretical, black holes have now been imaged twice, building upon years of indirect observational research. Aided by the latest advancements in telescopes and imaging technology, astronomers say they are in the midst of a new era of black hole science.

In May, scientists shared the first-ever image of Sagittarius A* – a supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. And the first-ever black hole audio remix from the Perseus galaxy cluster had a recent viral moment on social media.

Yet so much remains unknown and mysterious about the nature of black holes. In this episode of The Stream, we will talk about the latest theories about black holes and the public’s fascination with them.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Priyamvada Natarajan, @SheerPriya
Professor of astronomy and physics, Yale University

Kimberly Arcand, @kimberlykowal
Visualisation scientist, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics

Jeyhan Kartaltepe, @Jeyhan
Astrophysicist & associate professor, Rochester Institute of Technology