IATE Term of the Week: Black Hole

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To a human mind, there is  nothing more intriguing, incomprehensible and impressive than the conception of  black holes. Hauling the fabric of the universe, these black points of infinite density and incurvation suck in anything that comes too near, including light.

Scientists have spent the past decades building on the theories Einstein shed on the cosmos to be in a position of accepting the fact that black holes -or something close to their conception -are real.

On the 10th of April, the EU Commission offered the humanity the first digital glimpse of a black hole at the centre of Messier 87 Galaxy.

This first-ever observation of this compressed cosmic object that warps space-time is a result of the international research, collaboration Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) where EU-funded researchers played a central role. The European Research Council (ERC) has provided funding for three of the leading researchers and their teams involved in the project, as well as financed the operations of the telescope infrastructure.

This success adds to a series of achievements of the EU’s Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020 and endorses the provisional agreement on Horizon Europe, an ambitious EU research programme that aims to keep the EU at the forefront of global research and innovation.

References:

Iate.europa.eu. (2019). iate. [online] Available at: https://iate.europa.eu/entry/result/1412526/en [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].

European Commission – European Commission. (2019). First ever image of a black hole. [online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/news/first-ever-image-black-hole-2019-apr-10_en [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].

Newscientist.com. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232262-200-black-hole-breakthrough-a-lot-done-much-more-to-do/ [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].

Horizon 2020 – European Commission. (2019). What is Horizon 2020? – Horizon 2020 – European Commission. [online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/what-horizon-2020 [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].

Eventhorizontelescope.org. (2019). Event Horizon Telescope. [online] Available at: https://eventhorizontelescope.org/ [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].

ERC: European Research Council. (2019). ERC: European Research Council. [online] Available at: https://erc.europa.eu/ [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].

Europa.eu. (2019). European Commission – PRESS RELEASES – Press release – EU budget for 2021-2027: Commission welcomes provisional agreement on Horizon Europe, the future EU research and innovation programme. [online] Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-1676_en.htm [Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].


Written by Foteini Stathopoulou, Communications Specialist Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament and General Coordinator of the Schuman Trainees Committee of Luxembourg.