Sarah Markoff, a professor of astronomy and experimental philosophy at the University of Cambridge, as well as one of the founders of the EHT consortium, described the upcoming shoot as "revolutionary" due to its complex technology and significance for science.
She noted that the results of the observations could help to more accurately determine the rotation speed of the black hole and understand the mechanisms responsible for the formation of powerful jets — one of the most challenging questions in modern astrophysics.
Markoff added that, despite the intimidating reputation of black holes, they could play a key role in understanding the formation of the first galaxies in the universe and their evolution.
The EHT project is a network of 12 radio telescopes located around the world, from Antarctica to Spain and South Korea. In 2019, the consortium first demonstrated an image of a black hole's shadow. As part of the new campaign, scientists expect to obtain complete images of this object approximately every three days, depending on the rotation of the Earth and the alignment of the black hole M87 within the field of view of various telescopes.
