A photograph of the black hole at the center of the galaxy was revealed to be fake, as Japanese scientists exposed the method behind its creation.

Two years ago, astronomers released an image of a black hole at the center of our Galaxy. This became the event of the year, and the photo spread across millions of websites. As time goes on, it accumulates more "details" - for instance, Wikipedia features a version adorned with white lines resembling a vortex (of course, these lines are simply added). However, it turns out that the original photo is likely not credible. This scandal reminds us that all photographs of deep space, which fill astronomical pages, are a result of extensive processing rather than what the camera actually sees. Has artificial space replaced the real one? An exposé article was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

WAS THERE A PHOTO?

Let's start with the main point – and you may be shocked. The "photo of the black hole in our Galaxy" is not a photo at all. That is, there was no lens, no camera, no shot taken. This fact has never been hidden, but who pays attention to the details? Here, an image. What else could it be if not a photograph?

The image was obtained using radio telescopes. Can a radio telescope take photographs? Actually, no. But – yes.

A radio telescope measures the power of the stream of radio waves in the direction it observes. Imagine that it measures the power at one point, then moves to a neighboring one, and continues this process… From these points, like pixels, it is possible to assemble an image in radio waves. It results in a picture – but not a photograph.

In our case, things are a bit more complicated.

The fact is that radio waves are longer than optical light. This means that for the image to be clear, a massive antenna, kilometers in size, is required. Light, with its shorter waves, can be easily focused with a tiny lens. But have you ever seen a lens focusing radio waves? Actually, why not? Both radio and light are electromagnetic oscillations. The reason is not that radio waves cannot be focused by glass. They can. The glass just needs to be enormous. This is why radio telescope dishes are so large. Even your satellite dishes are not small, almost a meter in diameter.

However, when observing the center of the Galaxy (which is 27 thousand light-years away), you won't get a "sharp" image with just one dish. Because, as mentioned, its size needs to be kilometers. But there is a solution! It turns out that if you properly combine the signals from two radio telescopes, even if they are on different continents, you can achieve an image as clear as if there were a single antenna the size of the distance between the radio telescopes.

In fact, the entire Earth can be turned into one giant radio telescope! Place the antennas far apart, and you’re good to go. And that’s already been done. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project is a network of radio telescopes that spans our entire planet. It was this project that published the "photo" (which is not a photo) of the black hole.

But there’s a catch. How exactly do you combine the readings from separated radio telescopes? Apparently, some computer algorithm is involved. And here lies the nuance that made the research team (led by Miyoji Makoto) exclaim – the image is incorrect.

1

Conditionally authentic photo of the black hole, the result of new data processing.

ADJUSTING TO EXPECTATIONS?

"The first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way may not reflect its true appearance," states a press release from this group of researchers.

2

The famous doughnut shown to everyone in 2022, which turned out to be a fake.

In the image presented in 2022, we see a dark area, the black hole itself, at the center. Surrounding it is a neat "doughnut." This is the material being drawn into the black hole. Approaching the event horizon (from which no light escapes), the material spirals in a terrifying dance. Everything seems to match the theory – here it is, and it looks just like the photo, what doubts could there be?

Such a smooth resemblance to what we HOPED to see (and indeed "saw") should raise suspicions? At least part of the image is an artifact of processing, the article states. There are no accusations that the authors of the "photo" deliberately adjusted the image to meet publication expectations, but such suspicions may arise.

In the article, astronomers delve deeply into image processing algorithms (we won't go into that). The conclusion: the "doughnut" is actually distorted. This indicates that the material within it is rotating at a colossal speed, 60% of the speed of light. In the new, corrected image, the "black hole" is still visible, but it is submerged in an asymmetrical "doughnut."

- So why did a ring-shaped image appear? Well, no telescope can perfectly capture an astronomical image. We suspect the ring image arose due to errors in the EHT image analysis, and that part of it was an artifact, not a real astronomical structure, - says Miyoji Makoto.

3

The initially fake image was further falsified, including on Wikipedia.

AND WHAT ABOUT HUBBLE?

Although Makoto and colleagues strive to be extremely accurate, and they adjusted the image to keep key elements intact – here’s your hole, here’s your doughnut – a question arises. Is the picture of the Universe we see in telescope photographs real?

Well… to be honest, no.

First of all, the Hubble and Webb telescopes capture black-and-white images, and the authentic images are buried in rather grainy, unclear pictures. What you see is the result of extensive photo processing done at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, USA. In a commemorative article marking Hubble's 30th anniversary, it was stated: behind every processing effort lies science (don’t think we’re lying to you), "but also a play of imagination and a multitude of creative solutions." In short, as stated in Soviet books, "inhabitants of Mars as imagined by the artist."

The Webb telescope operates entirely in the infrared range, which cannot be seen by the human eye, so there are no colors in principle. Infrared is a great range for science because longer light waves pass better through cosmic dust. However, the photographs (yes, these are actual photographs) simply cannot be colorful. They are colorized. Typically, a short infrared range is made "blue," and a long one is "red." In other words, they are adapted to the color palette of human perception.

But that’s not all. Just compare the original photo from Webb with the "postcard" – there’s nothing close to what is shown to the public. Where does all this happen? Right there in Baltimore.

4

The unprocessed image of the Carina Nebula, obtained by the NIRCam instrument, before converting infrared light into visible wavelengths.