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How do scientists "see" black holes? with Skype A Scientist and MSU SciFest

How do scientists "see" black holes? with Skype A Scientist and MSU SciFest

These slides accompany a virtual presentation I give for middle school and high school science classes through the Skype A Scientist and MSU SciFest programs. I adjust the subset of slides I use based on the audience. There are videos in quite a few of the slides that don't render in the PDF version saved here.

You can read more about me and my background, and get in touch for a talk or creative project, on my website: https://abigailstevens.com/

Dr. Abbie Stevens

May 06, 2021
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  1. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
    How do scientists
    “see” black holes?
    Dr. Abbie Stevens

    View Slide

  2. First: what is
    astronomy?
    • Astronomy: stuff in
    outer space
    • Astrophysics: physics
    of stuff in outer space
    • Also: astrochemistry,
    astrobiology,
    heliophysics, Earth &
    planetary sciences,
    near-Earth space
    physics
    Image: NASA/ESA/HST
    Tools: math, computer programming,
    creative problem-solving, teamwork

    View Slide

  3. Black holes
    • A lot of stuff
    (mass) in a very
    small space
    • Very powerful
    gravity
    • Escape velocity
    faster than the
    speed of light!
    Image: J. Provost, ScienceNews.org

    View Slide

  4. Black holes
    Image: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration
    No limit on how big they can get!
    Small black holes are formed from the
    death and collapse of a big star (“stellar”
    or “stellar mass”)
    Big black holes have been around since very
    early in the universe, at the centers of
    galaxies (“supermassive”)

    View Slide

  5. Black holes
    Image: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration
    No limit on how big they can get!
    Small black holes are formed from the
    death and collapse of a big star (“stellar”
    or “stellar mass”)
    Big black holes have been around since very
    early in the universe, at the centers of
    galaxies (“supermassive”)
    Quick interlude:
    Universe is really big,
    numbers get really big

    View Slide

  6. Black holes
    Image: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration
    No limit on how big they can get!
    Small black holes are formed from the
    death and collapse of a big star (“stellar”
    or “stellar mass”)
    Big black holes have been around since very
    early in the universe, at the centers of
    galaxies (“supermassive”)
    Quick interlude:
    Universe is really big,
    numbers get really big
    1 thousand seconds ≅ 16 minutes

    View Slide

  7. Black holes
    Image: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration
    No limit on how big they can get!
    Small black holes are formed from the
    death and collapse of a big star (“stellar”
    or “stellar mass”)
    Big black holes have been around since very
    early in the universe, at the centers of
    galaxies (“supermassive”)
    Quick interlude:
    Universe is really big,
    numbers get really big
    1 thousand seconds ≅ 16 minutes
    1 million seconds ≅ 11 days

    View Slide

  8. Black holes
    Image: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration
    No limit on how big they can get!
    Small black holes are formed from the
    death and collapse of a big star (“stellar”
    or “stellar mass”)
    Big black holes have been around since very
    early in the universe, at the centers of
    galaxies (“supermassive”)
    Quick interlude:
    Universe is really big,
    numbers get really big
    1 thousand seconds ≅ 16 minutes
    1 million seconds ≅ 11 days
    1 billion seconds ≅ 32 years

    View Slide

  9. Black holes
    Image: Event Horizon Telescope collaboration
    Biggest black
    hole ever seen:
    60 Billion times
    the mass of our
    Sun
    Smallest black
    hole ever seen:
    3 times the mass
    of our Sun
    No limit on how big they can get!
    Small black holes are formed from the
    death and collapse of a big star (“stellar”
    or “stellar mass”)
    Big black holes have been around since very
    early in the universe, at the centers of
    galaxies (“supermassive”)

    View Slide

  10. Can’t just grab
    one, put it on a
    table, shine a
    light on it, and
    study it
    Video: NASA/GSFC/J. Schnittman
    Black holes
    To see it, need to
    wait for one to send
    light in our direction

    View Slide

  11. Image: Event Horizon Telescope
    collaboration
    How do
    we see
    them?
    taking a
    picture using
    radio light

    View Slide

  12. Image: Event Horizon Telescope
    collaboration
    How do
    we see
    them?
    taking a
    picture using
    radio light

    View Slide

  13. Image credit: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss
    How do
    we see
    them?
    eating its
    star-friend

    View Slide

  14. How do
    we see
    them?
    eating its
    star-friend
    Video credit: NASA

    View Slide

  15. The first black
    hole we saw is
    called Cygnus
    X-1, in 1972.
    How do
    we see
    them?
    eating its
    star-friend
    Image credit: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss

    View Slide

  16. Type of light
    Gets through
    Earth’s
    atmosphere?
    Approx. scale
    of wavelength?
    The electro-magnetic spectrum
    How do
    we see
    them?
    with X-ray
    telescopes
    The colors that we
    see are a very small
    part of all the types
    of light that exist!
    Images: Shutterstock, NASA

    View Slide

  17. The electro-magnetic spectrum
    How do
    we see
    them?
    with X-ray
    telescopes
    Type of light
    Gets through
    Earth’s
    atmosphere?
    Approx. scale
    of wavelength
    Images: Shutterstock, NASA
    X-rays from space can’t get through Earth’s
    atmosphere, so we put X-ray telescopes on
    satellites and launch them into space on rockets!

    View Slide

  18. Video: NASA/GSFC
    How do
    we see
    them?
    with X-ray
    telescopes

    View Slide

  19. Black hole as ☆
    How do
    we see
    them?
    nearby orbiting
    stars
    Sagittarius A-star
    (Sgr A*) at the
    center of our
    Milky Way galaxy!
    4.3 million times the mass of the Sun

    View Slide

  20. Image credit: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss
    How do
    we see
    them?
    smashing
    together
    Video: S. Ossokine/A.
    Buonanno/T. Dietrich (MPI
    for Gravitational Physics)/R.
    Haas (NCSA)/SXS project

    View Slide

  21. Image credit: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss
    Video: T. Ramirez/G.
    Lovelace/SXS
    Collaboration/LIGO-Virgo
    Collaboration
    How do
    we see
    them?
    smashing
    together

    View Slide

  22. How do
    we see
    them?
    bending light
    from behind
    them

    View Slide

  23. Image: HST
    How do
    we see
    them?
    bending light
    from behind
    them
    The strong gravity of the black hole acts
    like a lens, bending and distorting the image.

    View Slide

  24. Image credit: NASA/CXC/K. Divona

    View Slide

  25. Dr. Abbie
    in school
    • Middle school and high school:
    physics, earth science, math,
    computer programming

    View Slide

  26. • Middle school and high school:
    physics, earth science, math,
    computer programming
    • College: small liberal arts college
    • BA, physics major, math minor
    Dr. Abbie
    in school

    View Slide

  27. • Middle school and high school:
    physics, earth science, math,
    computer programming
    • College: small liberal arts college
    • BA, physics major, math minor
    • Graduate school: large research
    universities
    • MSc in physics, in astrophysics
    group
    Dr. Abbie
    in school

    View Slide

  28. • Middle school and high school:
    physics, earth science, math,
    computer programming
    • College: small liberal arts college
    • BA, physics major, math minor
    • Graduate school: large research
    universities
    • MSc in physics, in astrophysics
    group
    • PhD in astronomy, in large
    astronomy research institute
    Dr. Abbie
    in school

    View Slide

  29. •Middle school and high school: physics,
    earth science, math, computer programming
    •College: small liberal arts college
    •BA, physics major, math minor
    •Graduate school: large research universities
    •MSc in physics, in astrophysics group
    •PhD in astronomy, in large astronomy
    research institute
    In high school, I wanted to do
    architecture and engineering, so I
    took physics and math. Then in
    physics I was introduced to
    astronomy!
    • Learn about things that interest
    you, and keep an open mind!
    Dr. Abbie
    in school

    View Slide

  30. •Middle school and high school: physics,
    earth science, math, computer programming
    •College: small liberal arts college
    •BA, physics major, math minor
    •Graduate school: large research universities
    •MSc in physics, in astrophysics group
    •PhD in astronomy, in large astronomy
    research institute
    In high school, I wanted to do
    architecture and engineering, so I
    took physics and math. Then in
    physics I was introduced to
    astronomy!
    • Learn about things that interest
    you, and keep an open mind!
    In college, I changed majors twice!
    (environmental policy, theater),
    nearly added math as a double major
    • It’s ok to change your mind!
    Dr. Abbie
    in school

    View Slide

  31. •Middle school and high school: physics,
    earth science, math, computer programming
    •College: small liberal arts college
    •BA, physics major, math minor
    •Graduate school: large research universities
    •MSc in physics, in astrophysics group
    •PhD in astronomy, in large astronomy
    research institute
    In high school, I wanted to do
    architecture and engineering, so I
    took physics and math. Then in
    physics I was introduced to
    astronomy!
    • Learn about things that interest
    you, and keep an open mind!
    In college, I changed majors twice!
    (environmental policy, theater),
    nearly added math as a double major
    • It’s ok to change your mind!
    • Keep your hobbies!
    • Mental wellbeing is so important!
    Dr. Abbie
    in school

    View Slide

  32. Job prospects
    in astronomy
    • Academia
    • Researcher
    • Professor (research +
    teaching)
    • Lecturer/instructor
    (teaching)
    • Education and public outreach
    • Planetarium director
    • Outreach coordinator
    • Content at educational
    nonprofits
    • Industry
    • Data science
    • Quantitative analytics
    • Software development

    View Slide

  33. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
    Q&A time!

    View Slide