This morning, a collaboration of scientists with the Event Horizon Telescope initiative is set to unveil a “groundbreaking discovery” about our Milky Way galaxy. The team has provided little details about what they’re announcing, but the mysterious news will be livestreamed at 9AM ET.
You may remember the Event Horizon Telescope team from 2019, when the group revealed the first picture ever taken of a black hole’s shadow. Back then, the team showed off an image of a supermassive black hole located in the center of a galaxy called Messier 87, or M87. It was a massive undertaking that entailed observing the black hole for a week in April of 2017, using eight radio telescopes stationed in Chile, Hawaii, Antarctica, and elsewhere, and then piecing together that data with supercomputers.
It seems possible that the group could reveal another spectacular black hole image, but this time, they’d showcase one in our own galaxy. During the April 2017 observation run, the EHT team also observed the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, called Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*. However, the scientists admitted to having more difficulty piecing that image together due to the size of the black hole and interference between Earth and the object. Perhaps the team has managed to overcome those processing issues five years later.
It’s also possible that the EHT team will reveal something completely different. Little information has been provided in advance, other than the results being some kind of “breakthrough.” We’ll all find out together soon enough.
What time does the EHT livestream start?
The EHT livestream will begin at 9AM ET.
Scheduled time: New York: 9AM / San Francisco: 6AM / London: 2PM / Berlin: 3PM / Moscow: 4PM / New Delhi: 6:30PM / Beijing: 9PM / Tokyo: 10PM / Melbourne: 11PM
Where can I watch the announcement?
The announcement will be streamed live on the website of the National Science Foundation, which helps to fund research facilities used by the EHT. The announcement will also stream live on YouTube and Facebook.