Friday 13 September
Art&Black Holes with Jean-Pierre Luminet
Lecture on the Observation of Black Holes. What does a black hole look like? Half a century before images of black holes based on observation were released, physicists used calculations and simulations to envision what they thought the surroundings of black holes would look like.
The French astrophysicist Jean-Pierre Luminet created a handmade 'realistic' drawing.
The drawing from 1978 was used to convince astronomers of the existence of black holes. Luminet emphasized the accuracy of his image by highlighting the physical effects incorporated into the simulation for his drawing. He also referenced photography in his descriptions. At the same time, he presented the appearance of light near a black hole, as seen by a distant observer, as 'optical distortions.' Luminet also found inspiration in the work of the Dutch artist M.C. Escher. By focusing on what light near a black hole looked like, Luminet explained why his image appeared the way it did to convey the nature of what was invisible.
This event is part of the Days of Art&Science.
When
- Friday the 13th of september 2024