Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

Extraordinary Evidence for an Incredible Idea
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http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/

Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

A Brief Summary of Black Holes
Stellar­mass black holes
The most massive stars end their lives in titanic explosions, leaving nothing behind but their ultra­ dense collapsed cores.
Mid­mass black holes
A new class of recently­discovered black holes have masses on the order of hundreds or thousands of stars.
Supermassive black holes
The centers of galaxies contain giant black holes, with the masses of millions, even billions, of stars.

We cannot see black holes directly, but their influence on the matter around them reveals their presence.
Representations above are artists’ impressions, and not to scale. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

Sloan Digital Sky Survey

X­ray Binary: Visible Light View

Many of the stars in our universe come in pairs. Ordinary stars orbiting around a black hole will appear to “wobble” in the sky. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA / CXC / SAO

X­ray Binary: X­ray Light View

More dramatically, matter being pulled off the orbiting star, into the accretion disk of the black hole, glows brightly in x­rays. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

W. Keel (U. Alabama), et al.. 1.54­m Telescope, Chile

Globular Cluster: Visible Light View

Globular clusters are large, dense clusters of stars.
These stars are among the oldest stars in our universe. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA / CXC / CfA/J. Grindlay & C. Heinke

Globular Cluster: X­ray Light View

Stars orbiting around black holes inside these ancient clusters are revealed by the x­ray glow of matter around them. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

W. Keel (U. Alabama), et al.. 1.54­m Telescope, Chile

Milky Way Center: Visible Light View

The heart of our galaxy is a veritable soup of stars, gas, and dust. On a clear night in a dark sky, the view is breathtaking. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA / U.Mass / D. Wang, et al.

Milky Way Center: X­ray Light View

Lurking within our galaxy’s hot, turbulent center are x­ray binaries, neutron stars, and even a supermassive black hole. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NOAO / AURA / NSF/ T. Boroson

Spiral Galaxy: Visible Light View

Like our own Milky Way, M74 is a majestic spiral. The swirling spiral arms house a menagerie of stars and stellar material. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA/CXC / U. Michigan / J. Liu et al.

Spiral Galaxy: X­ray Light View

X­ray observations of strange new sources provide evidence for a new class of black holes, with the mass of 10,000 stars. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA / CXC / U. Michigan / J. Liu et al.
NOAO / AURA / NSF / T. Boroson

Spiral Galaxy: Multi­wavelength View

Combining x­ray and visible light observations can pinpoint the locations of black hole, providing a more complete picture. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA / CXC / SAO / R. DiStefano, et al.

Spiral Galaxies: An X­ray Gallery

Thanks to the Chandra X­ray Observatory, these “mid­mass” black holes are becoming part of the story for all galaxies. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

Elliptical Galaxy: Visible and X­ray Views

Digital Sky Survey

NASA / CXC / UVA / C. Sarazin, et al.

Indeed, most (if not all) galaxies are now thought to house a variety of black holes, ranging in mass from small to large. http://www.universeforum.org/einstein/ Real Images of Actual Black
Holes

NASA / CXC / PSU /D. M.