Darkness Visible: Shedding New Light on Black Holes

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Published 2018-06-02

Black holes may hold the key to understanding the most fundamental truths of the universe, but how do you see something that’s, well, black? Astronomers think they have the answer. Thanks to a global array of radio telescopes that turn the Earth into a giant receiver, we may soon have the first picture of the event horizon of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. And, with the power of math, scientists are going even further, using equations to “look” inside black holes, peering at the central singularity where general relativity and quantum mechanics collide. Join Brian Greene and other leading physicists and astronomers on a journey to make darkness visible.

Find out more about the program and the participants: www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/darkness-vis…

MODERATOR: Brian Greene
PARTICIPANTS: Shep Doeleman, Andrea Ghez, Vicky Kalogera, Cumrun Vafa

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The Big Ideas Series is supported in part by the John Templeton Foundation.

Filmed live at the 2018 World Science Festival

All Comments (21)

@shirleymason7697 2 years ago

I, a woman, age 87, with no science training or background, really appreciate this, and what you are doing, Professor Green.
@alexsanderbushov3484 1 year ago

Brain Greene is my favorite moderator and really breaks down things into the most simple terms where anyone can follow
@anuragchatterjee6466 2 years ago

Andrea won the Nobel prize in 2020 for the discovery of the super massive black hole she descibes here. What a privilege to see this video where she describes what is it like for her and her team as they make the ground breaking discovery! No wonder she is so excited...
@jasonhickmann4344 2 years ago

I like how Brian acts like a layman when he knows all this shit. He is just generously giving them an audience they deserve
@joetaylor486 3 years ago

I am startled that some people have clicked 'thumbs down' for this. How? This was a fabulous canter through current bleeding edge science on the most enigmatic and fascinating celestial objects. What's not to like?
@24x7teja 5 years ago

These discussions are so enjoyable for people (like me) who are into Astrophysics and Cosmology. There’s nothing better than to relax with a cup of coffee listening to Dr. Greene and other physicists debate and reflect on our current understanding of the Universe.
@craigwall9536 3 years ago

I like it when Brian is talking to his old friends. It's scientifically cozy... I mean it's like the best times I can remember talking to people who were interested and knowledgeable in the science I was interested in.... just a set of memories to be treasured.
@sarkaragha 3 years ago

And Andrea Ghez won 2020 Noble prize in physics. What a wonderful woman she is.
@MarcoRoepers 3 years ago

And now Andrea Ghez has won the Nobelprize!
@ISILENTNINJAI 3 years ago

I loved how humble all the guests here were. All of them acknowledged that it wasn't just them alone making these breakthroughs but their "team".
@jacquelinewashington7851 3 years ago

Wonderfully spoken to, I really enjoyed this discussion! Thank you!
@alinabaklz 3 years ago

I fell asleep and this played on autoplay and it bled into my dream and I swear I was so smart in my dreamland
@gieltemolder8264 3 years ago

This is the best use of the internet imo. Just putting out truly educational content, that can also reach a lot of people that might not have been able to get the type of education they would want.
@alentrav 4 years ago

There's nothing I like better than listening to a real passionate and enthusiastic scientist. This lady is great!
@owaisahmad7841 2 years ago

Very well done program. Great scientists and Brian Green asked all the pertinent questions and explain stuff in order to make it easy for everyone to understand.
@AsteroidsBG 2 years ago

I was listening to this podcast while I sleep and thought to myself, what if the speed of light is not a constant, it does make a lot of sense, what do we observe is a really small fragment and for our perception, the speed of light seems to be a constant, but on a bigger scale it should be loosing speed
@benbernanke7244 5 years ago

Andrea Ghez's enthusiasm is just so infectious. Good work all. The World Science Festival videos are amazing. Especially when Brian is hosting.
@Epoch11 5 years ago

Thank you so SO much for putting things like this online. Not everything online has to be brain-rotting nonsense.
@rustusandroid 3 years ago

I like the theory about Black Holes being stars, but I've never fully set on that theory. I'm glad to see people are still open to these questions.
@fuzzmaayn29 2 years ago

oh shes just so lovely how enthusiastic and excited she gets about her work :) so wholesome i love her!