Astronomers announced on Wednesday that at last, they had captured an image of the unobservable: a black hole, a cosmic abyss so deep and dense that not even light can escape it. Not only is it an important milestone in the astronomical world, but also an extraordinary achievement for mankind.
[otw_shortcode_tabslayout tabs=”2″ tab_1_title=”Simplified Chinese” tab_1_content=”中央研究院今天(10日)晚间与比利时、日本、中国、美国、智利等5国一同召开记者会，公开人类史上首张利用「事件视界望远镜」(EHT)「直接观测」到的黑洞影像。这不但是天文学界的重要里程碑，也是人类非凡成就。影像犹如黑暗中看到模糊的火球，火球中有一个黑色阴影，看起来像是一个橘色的圆圈。
中央研究院院长廖俊智指出，黑洞是个全暗的物体，光线不能从黑洞逃离，黑洞边界叫做「事件视界」，而「事件视界望远镜」(EHT)是一个国际合作计画，由全球各地望远镜组成一个阵列，形成一个直径等同于地球的望远镜，计画宗旨就是要获得史上首张黑洞图像。
廖俊智强调，EHT计画的研究成果是人类第一次能够验证黑洞是否存在于宇宙之间的理论，中央研究院所参与EHT计画的观测工作已经有数年，是计画主要成员之一，尤其2018年在北极建造的「格陵兰望远镜」。这是台湾身为地球村的一份子带给国际社会最有价值的贡献。他说：「中央研究院天文所是EHT计画的主要成员，也是东亚天文台的合作伙伴，等同在13个成员当中，我们占有两个席次，中研院也同时负责EHT四个望远镜的建设跟运转，透过这个记者会，我们希望告诉国人，台湾已经在本世纪重要科学发现之一，占有一席之地。」
中央研究院天文所副研究员浅田圭一指出，现有仪器无法拍摄黑洞「本身」，因为黑洞是全暗物体，但藉由拍摄黑洞阴影，可以间接证实黑洞存在，因为黑洞会形成很大的重力波，当光线受到极强的重力偏转时，会形成「阴影」或「剪影」，而将此暗影形成图像，就是事件视界望远镜目的，所以事件视界望远镜是拍摄黑洞「阴影」。
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中央研究院今天(10日)晚間與比利時、日本、中國、美國、智利等5國一同召開記者會，公開人類史上首張利用「事件視界望遠鏡」(EHT)「直接觀測」到的黑洞影像。這不但是天文學界的重要里程碑，也是人類非凡成就。影像猶如黑暗中看到模糊的火球，火球中有一個黑色陰影，看起來像是一個橘色的圓圈。
中央研究院院長廖俊智指出，黑洞是個全暗的物體，光線不能從黑洞逃離，黑洞邊界叫做「事件視界」，而「事件視界望遠鏡」(EHT)是一個國際合作計畫，由全球各地望遠鏡組成一個陣列，形成一個直徑等同於地球的望遠鏡，計畫宗旨就是要獲得史上首張黑洞圖像。
廖俊智強調，EHT計畫的研究成果是人類第一次能夠驗證黑洞是否存在於宇宙之間的理論，中央研究院所參與EHT計畫的觀測工作已經有數年，是計畫主要成員之一，尤其2018年在北極建造的「格陵蘭望遠鏡」。這是台灣身為地球村的一份子帶給國際社會最有價值的貢獻。他說：「中央研究院天文所是EHT計畫的主要成員，也是東亞天文台的合作夥伴，等同在13個成員當中，我們佔有兩個席次，中研院也同時負責EHT四個望遠鏡的建設跟運轉，透過這個記者會，我們希望告訴國人，台灣已經在本世紀重要科學發現之一，佔有一席之地。」
中央研究院天文所副研究員淺田圭一指出，現有儀器無法拍攝黑洞「本身」，因為黑洞是全暗物體，但藉由拍攝黑洞陰影，可以間接證實黑洞存在，因為黑洞會形成很大的重力波，當光線受到極強的重力偏轉時，會形成「陰影」或「剪影」，而將此暗影形成圖像，就是事件視界望遠鏡目的，所以事件視界望遠鏡是拍攝黑洞「陰影」。
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English translation:
On the evening of the 10th, the Academia Sinica held a press conference with five countries including Belgium, Japan, China, the United States, and Chile to publicize the first black hole image in human history that was “directly observed” using the “Event Horizon Telescope” (EHT). Not only is it an important milestone in the astronomical world, but also an extraordinary achievement for mankind. The image looks like a fuzzy fireball in the dark, with a black shadow in the fireball that looks like an orange circle.
Liao Junzhi, dean of the Academia Sinica, pointed out that the black hole is an all-dark object, the light cannot escape from the black hole, the black hole boundary is called the “event horizon”, and the “event vision telescope” (EHT) is an international cooperation project composed of telescopes all over the world. The array, which forms a telescope with a diameter equal to the Earth, is designed to obtain the first black hole image in history.
Liao Junzhi emphasized that the research results of the EHT project are the first time that human beings can verify the existence of black holes in the universe. The Academia Sinica has been involved in the observation of EHT projects for several years and is one of the main members of the project, especially The Greenland Telescope built in the Arctic in 2018. This is the most valuable contribution that Taiwan has brought to the international community as a part of the global village. He said: “The Academia Sinica Astronomical Institute is a major member of the EHT project and a partner of the East Asia Observatory. It is equivalent to 13 members. We have two seats. The Academia Sinica is also responsible for the construction and operation of the EHT four telescopes. Through this press conference, we hope to tell the people that Taiwan is already one of the important scientific discoveries of this century and has a place.”
The researcher of the Academia Sinica’s Institute of Astronomy, Asada, pointed out that the existing instruments could not shoot the black hole “itself” because the black hole is a dark object, but by shooting the black hole shadow, the black hole can be indirectly confirmed, because the black hole will form a large gravity wave. When the light is deflected by extremely strong gravity, a “shadow” or “silhouette” is formed, and the shadow is formed into an image, which is the purpose of the event vision telescope. Therefore, the event vision telescope is actually capturing the black hole’s “shadow”.
The news is taken and adapted from here to suit the level of the reader. The photo is taken from here.