Fall Colloquium- The Black Hole Shadow in M87

Abstract: The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is an international collaboration to observe black holes at horizon-scale resolution. The EHT uses the technique of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and submillimeter telescopes all over the globe to perform VLBI experiments at 1mm wavelength, where we expect to resolve the event horizons of two targets, M87* and SgrA*. In 2017, the EHT performed its first experiment, using eight observatories at six geographic locations. In this talk I will report on the first results from that experiment, the image of the nuclear black hole in M87. From these data we have improved our understanding of this source, estimated its mass, and attempted a new test of General Relativity. I will also describe the path to these results and the next steps for this project. 
 
** Refreshments served from 2:45pm – 3:00pm in PAS 218.  Thank you. **