Reinhard Genzel of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics on the first image of the galactic centre With the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), researchers have successfully imaged the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. To do this, they connected the radio antennas of eight observatories worldwide. Reinhard Genzel, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, has been studying this region at the heart of the galaxy for more than three decades. This is done in infrared light with the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory. There, he and his team track the movement of stars that buzz around the invisible object like moths around light. In this interview, Genzel, who was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for these observations together with Andrea Ghez of the University of California, discusses the latest result of the EHT collaboration. How do you assess the image of the galactic centre against the background of your own measurements? Reinhard Genzel: The image is a nice result and a wonderful confirmation of our ultra-precise observations in infrared light.
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