The gaming industry has witnessed the rise and fall of various consoles over the years. From Nintendo’s groundbreaking innovations to Sony’s dominance in the market, each era has brought its own set of challenges and triumphs. In this article, we’ll delve into the evolution of consoles, highlighting key moments and assessing their impact on gaming culture.
Gaming consoles. Illustrative photo. Image credit: cottonbro studio via pexels.com, free license
Nintendo, originally a trading card and toy company, made its mark in the gaming industry with the release of the Color TV-Game series, followed by the iconic NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Despite the limitations of first-generation consoles, Nintendo’s focus on historical importance and game quality laid the foundation for future success.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES): pushing boundaries
The SNES introduced advanced technology like Mode 7 graphics and refined gameplay, setting a new standard for 2D platforming. With classic titles like Super Mario World and innovative features, the SNES solidified Nintendo’s position as a leader in the industry.
Nintendo’s ups and downs
From N64 to Wii U Nintendo faced challenges with the N64 due to its proprietary cartridges and limited third-party support. Despite notable titles like Ocarina of Time and Mario 64, the system fell short in some areas. The GameCube marked a turnaround with improved developer relations, but the Wii U struggled to find its footing, overshadowed by competitors.
The Switch: Nintendo’s hybrid success
The Nintendo Switch revitalized the handheld gaming market with its innovative design and impressive game library. Offering versatility and portability, the Switch garnered widespread acclaim and became a top choice for gamers worldwide.
Sony’s entry: The PlayStation revolution
Sony’s foray into gaming began with the PlayStation, challenging industry norms and reshaping the landscape. Despite initial setbacks, the PlayStation’s extensive game library and technological advancements propelled it to unprecedented success.
PlayStation 2: a cultural phenomenon
The PS2 emerged as a cultural phenomenon, boasting backward compatibility and a diverse range of titles. With record-breaking sales and a vast library of games, the PS2 solidified its status as the best-selling console of all time.
Sony’s evolution: PS3 to PS5
The PS3 faced challenges initially but rebounded with standout exclusives and improved performance. The PS4 continued Sony’s winning streak, dominating the market with its gaming-focused approach. As the PS5 enters the scene, Sony aims to build on its legacy while adapting to changing trends.
Microsoft’s journey: from Xbox to Xbox Series X
Microsoft entered the gaming arena with the Xbox, leveraging its strengths in technology and online services. The Xbox 360 further solidified Microsoft’s presence, offering a robust gaming experience and expanding its reach. However, missteps with the Xbox One led to setbacks, paving the way for renewed focus with the Xbox Series X.
Other contenders: Atari, Sega, and beyond
Atari and Sega played pivotal roles in shaping gaming history, with consoles like the Atari 2600 and Sega Genesis leaving a lasting impact. While some systems achieved success, others faltered due to poor decisions and lackluster libraries.
Conclusion
As the gaming landscape continues to evolve, the legacies of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft endure, shaping the future of interactive entertainment. With each new console generation, players embark on a journey filled with innovation, nostalgia, and endless possibilities.
After Venice introduced a visitation fee and the Cinque Terre made the area’s tourist routes one-way, now another Italian city is entering the battle against overtourism. Finding the best ice cream while walking through the small streets of Milan is part of the experience not only for tourists but also for the residents of Italy’s fashion capital. But soon that will change.
However, a new law could put an end to this long-standing tradition. Marco Granelli, the city’s deputy mayor for security, recently announced plans to ban the sale of takeaway food and drink after midnight to preserve “peace” in 12 of the city’s busiest neighborhoods, CNN reported.
“Our goal is to seek a balance between sociability and entertainment and the peace and health of residents,” Grenelli wrote on social media. He added: “We believe in the living city, where both young and old have spaces they can share together.”
The ban, which the city says is necessary to deal with excessive noise in residential areas, will also prevent establishments from serving food and drink outside between 12:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays and between 1:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on weekends.
Critics say the ban goes against Italian culture and are calling for the law to be changed. If approved, the ban would go into effect as early as next month and last until November, after the busy tourist season ends.
Milan’s gelaterias are known as some of the best in the world. According to Luca Finardi, general manager of the city’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Italians passionately debate which gelateria is the best in town.
“We all have at least one we prefer,” he says. Brera, the city’s arts district, and Garibaldi, known for its high-end shopping, are among the 12 areas in the city expected to be controlled by the new rules.
The other districts are: Nolo, Lazzareto, Melzo, Isola, Sarpi, Cesariano, Arco della Pace, Corso Como-Gae Aulenti, Tichinese and Darsena-Navigli.
Fine for buying pizza
For some, sanctions are too radical a step. Marco Barbieri, secretary general of the Milan branch of the Italian retail association Confcommercio, told CNN that the ban goes against “common sense”.
“If an Italian family goes out for pizza and then wants to go for a walk and eat ice cream, they will be fined under this ordinance,” he says. He accepts that some residents are disturbed by the noise, but adds that there is room for compromise, such as keeping parks and other spaces open for longer.
“In Milan, there are many areas that are perfect for ‘movida’ (parties) that will not disturb the residents, they should be open later, not close earlier,” he says.
Barbieri also thinks midnight is too early to stop sales. He says most young people in Milan don’t even think about going out for dinner before 10pm, especially on summer evenings.
The expert is adamant that the new proposal will be accepted, but he hopes it will be in a modified form. “We’re hoping they’ll take ice cream, water and pizza off the list. Leave the late-night alcohol ban,” he says.
However, a change in the law is not guaranteed. Similar plans to tighten the ban were proposed by local authorities back in 2013, but had to be abandoned after a significant public backlash and the formation of a protest movement called “Occupy Gelato”.
It is unclear whether there will be the same level of resistance this time around. Town residents have until next week to have their say on the new proposal before the fate of the late-night ice cream walk is finally decided.
Illustrative Photo by Muffin Creatives: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-person-holding-pizza-1653877/
The UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, reached one of its now-abandoned schools in Khan Younis at the weekend, where thousands of people appeared to have left at a moment’s notice, fearing further intense Israeli bombardment.
“They used to shelter inside the school yard here, inside the classrooms, using all the external space. Now, there’s nothing left. Everybody evacuated very quickly,” said UNRWA communications officer Louise Wateridge.
Writing in a social media post on X that abandoned children’s shoes were “everywhere” at the school, the UNRWA officer also pointed to rubble and smashed concrete blocks that fell from the roof after a direct hit.
Lives upended
“There’s nobody here now, but you can see how quickly people left. There’s shoes on the floor, there’s hairbrushes, toothbrushes, even bits of food just left behind,” Ms. Wateridge said, her mobile phone footage indicating massive damage to buildings next to the UNRWA facility, including a block whose entire top floor had been upended and smashed wide open.
At a training centre in Khan Younis, where she said that at least 40,000 people sheltered when it came under direct fire and was subsequently besieged, she described “entire rooms burnt out, belongings scattered everywhere…Graves of children in the yard read “Your sister misses you’”.
Lasting impact
According to UNRWA, the war in Gaza has impacted 165 of its installations in the enclave since Israeli strikes began in response to Hamas-led attacks on 7 October that killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and left more than 250 taken hostage.
The latest data from the Gazan health authorities indicate that at least 34,480 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing violence and more than 77,640 wounded. As part of the continuing UN humanitarian response, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – which said that over 13,000 youngsters have been reportedly killed – has distributed more than 203,000 items of clothing for newborns to 17-year-olds.
UNICEF has reported that at least 17,000 children in Gaza are now unaccompanied or separated from their family after nearly seven months of war, with at least seven in 10 houses believed damaged or destroyed.
The UQ-developed technology absorbs carbon dioxide and generates electricity. Image credit: University of Queensland“This nanogenerator is made of two components: a polyamine gel that is already used by industry to absorb CO2 and a skeleton a few atoms thick of boron nitrate that generates positive and negative ions,” Dr Wang said. Image credit: University of Queensland
“This nanogenerator is made of two components: a polyamine gel that is already used by industry to absorb CO2 and a skeleton a few atoms thick of boron nitrate that generates positive and negative ions,” Dr Wang said.
“We’ve worked out how to make the positive ions much larger than the negative ions and because the different sizes move at different speeds, they generate a diffusion current which can be amplified into electricity to power light bulbs or any electronic device.
“In nature and in the human body, ion transportation is the most efficient energy conversion – more efficient than electron transportation which is used in the power network.”
The two components were embedded in a hydrogel which is 90 per cent water, cut into 4-centimetre discs and small rectangles and then tested in a sealed box pumped full of CO2.
“When we saw electrical signals coming out, I was very excited but worried I’d made a mistake,” Dr Wang said.
“I double-checked everything, and it was working correctly so I started dreaming about changing the world using this technology.
“This technology goes further than being carbon neutral – it consumes CO2 as it generates energy.
“At present we can harvest around 1 per cent of the total energy carried intrinsically by gas CO2 but like other technologies, we will now work on improving efficiency and reducing cost.”
Director of the Dow Centre, Professor Xiwang Zhang, said following the success of the laboratory tests, there are two potential applications for the nanogenerator in the future.
“We could make a slightly bigger device that is portable to generate electricity to power a mobile phone or a laptop computer using CO2 from the atmosphere,” Professor Zhang said.
“A second application on a much larger scale, would integrate this technology with an industrial CO2 capture process to harvest electricity.”
The development of the nanogenerator will continue through GETCO2, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide which is led by UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering with Professor Zhang as Director.
“We want to realise the value in a problematic greenhouse gas and to change the perception of CO2,” Professor Zhang said.
“Until now CO2 has been seen as a problem to be solved but it can be a resource for the future.”
The research has been published in Nature Communications.
A gold pocket watch that belonged to the richest man who traveled on the Titanic is being sold at auction, DPA reported. It could be worth up to £150,000 ($187,743).
Businessman John Jacob Astor died at the age of 47 when the Titanic sank in 1912. His wife was rescued.
Instead of evacuating on one of the lifeboats, the prominent member of the wealthy Astor family was last seen smoking a cigarette and talking to another passenger.
His body was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean seven days later and a fine 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch engraved with the initials JJA was found in his clothing.
The watch is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000. It was sold at the auction house “Henry Aldridge & Son” on Saturday last week.
“Astor is known as the richest passenger on board the Titanic and is believed to be among the wealthiest people in the world at the time, with a net worth of approximately $87 million, which equates to several billion dollars today,” said auctioneer Andrew Aldridge.
“Shortly before midnight on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to fill with water. At first Astor did not believe the ship was in serious danger, but later it became clear that it was sinking and the captain began an evacuation . John helps his wife into lifeboat number 4,” added the auctioneer.
Mrs. Astor survived, and her husband’s body was recovered on April 22, not far from the sinking site.
“The watch has been fully restored. It was returned to Mr. Astor’s family and was worn by his son. It is a unique piece of Titanic history,” Aldridge added.
Illustrative Photo by Fredrick Eankels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stylish-gold-vintage-watch-with-chain-4082639/
The National Library of France has placed four books from the 19th century “under quarantine”, reported AFP.
The reason is that their covers contain arsenic.
The discovery was made about five years ago. University scientists have discovered the chemical element in the covers.
The German-American research program Poison Book Project deals with such publications. Most of the arsenic-containing books discovered so far are located in the United States.
The National Library of France has compared identified books in other countries with its catalog by title. After analysis, it turned out that only four volumes of the 28 originally selected contained a large enough amount of the poisonous element.
The editions have been quarantined and will undergo a comprehensive laboratory analysis to determine the amount of arsenic in each, the cultural institution said in a statement.
The four books whose covers contain arsenic were printed in Great Britain. These are two volumes of Irish ballads collected by Edward Hayes in 1855, a bilingual anthology of Romanian poetry published in 1856, as well as collected scientific works of the British Royal Society of Horticulture from 1862-1863. Arsenic is contained in the Schweinfurt green, used for covers in the period 1790-1880. The color was used in English-speaking countries and in Germany, rarely in France.
In theory, there is a possibility that readers of the books will get sick or vomit. The National Library announced to AFP that the risk is minimal. In recent years, no poisoning with such covers has been found anywhere in the world.
Libraries in Germany began a search of their holdings in March for the possible discovery of poisoned covers. Dozens of analyzes have been done. No results have been announced yet, AFP notes.
Illustrative Photo by Suzy Hazelwood: https://www.pexels.com/photo/four-pile-of-books-on-top-of-brown-wooden-surface-1290828/
Mr. Guterres was saddened by the loss of life and damage caused by flash flooding in the capital, Nairobi, and other parts of the country, his spokesperson said on Monday.
The Secretary-General extended his condolences and solidarity to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of Kenya.
On Monday, rescue teams were searching for survivors after a dam burst in Mai Mahiu in western Kenya, killing at least 35 people, according to international media reports.
The heavy rains began in March, killing more than 100 people across the country since then. This season’s flash flooding follows similarly heavy rains that began late last year, affecting almost 600,000 people.
Solidarity and support
The UN Resident Representative in Kenya, Dr. Stephen Jackson, also expressed solidarity with the people and government during an event to distribute emergency aid to flood survivors, which was led by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
More than 300 households received aid, provided through the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, that included food, mattresses, blankets, water tanks, mosquito nets and equipment to help them rebuild.
“Together, we are taking steps to meet urgent needs. What worries me is how Kenya is currently facing a climate emergency that it did not cause – drought and floods,” said Dr. Jackson.
The UN team on the ground has been working closely with national and international partners since the start of the flooding to help support nearly 25,000 people with food and non-food items directly.
Meanwhile, UNHCR in Kenya said the heavy rains are causing serious flooding and displacement at the Dadaab refugee camps, located in the north.
“Many refugees have been forced from their homes, seeking shelter in schools and on higher ground,” said UNHCR Representative to Kenya Caroline Van Buren, writing on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The agency is coordinating with local government authorities, including to move people to safety.
In recent days, demonstrations unfolding through tented encampments on school grounds – sparked by students at New York’s prestigious Columbia University who are demanding authorities divest from Israel due to its occupation and military assault on Gaza – have spread nationwide.
University authorities from the west to east coast have taken different approaches, ranging from Columbia’s initial response to authorise police to clear protests by force to continuing negotiations and allowing the encampments to remain.
Columbia’s protesters ignored an ultimatum from the university to leave the camp or risk suspension on Monday. Early on Tuesday morning, students took over historic Hamilton Hall on campus, barricading themselves inside.
The building was one of those occupied in civil rights and Viet Nam war protests by students in 1968.
The university president announced earlier on Monday that dialogue with protesters had failed, and the institution would not bow to demands to divest from Israel.
Universities should ‘properly manage’ protest response: Guterres
“First of all I think it is essential in all circumstances to guarantee the freedom of expression and the freedom of peaceful demonstration but at the same time it is obvious that hate speech is unacceptable”, he said.
It should be left up to university authorities themselves to “properly manage” the situation and decide on the appropriate response to the protests, he added.
Right to protest is ‘fundamental’
In his statement on Tuesday, UN rights chief Volker Türk said that freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly were “fundamental to society”, particularly when there is sharp disagreement on major issues as there is in relation to the conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
He noted that in recent weeks, thousands of university students in the US have been protesting the war, and many demonstrations have taken place without incident.
But, there have also been hundreds of arrests following interventions on some campuses by security forces. Many have subsequently been released while others still face charges or academic sanctions.
Action taken by authorities and law enforcement officials to restrict such expression needs to be carefully scrutinised to ensure they do not go beyond what is demonstrably necessary to protect the rights and freedoms of others or for another legitimate aim, such as the maintenance of public health or order, Mr. Türk said.
Incitement to violence ‘must be strongly repudiated’
“I am concerned that some of law enforcement actions across a series of universities appear disproportionate in their impacts,” he stressed.
The rights chief emphasised that any clearly anti-Semitic conduct and speech was totally unacceptable and deeply disturbing. Anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian conduct and speech are equally reprehensible, he said.
“Incitement to violence or hatred on grounds of identity or viewpoints – whether real or assumed – must be strongly repudiated,” he continued. “We have already seen such dangerous rhetoric can quickly lead to real violence.”
He said any violent conduct should be addressed on a case-by-case basis rather than through sweeping measures “that impute to all members of a protest the unacceptable viewpoints of a few”.
A message of thanks to students around the world protesting events in Gaza is displayed on a tent in the south of the enclave.
Human rights law
“Here, as elsewhere, responses by universities and law enforcement need to be guided by human rights law, allowing vibrant debate and protecting safe spaces for all.”
The High Commissioner emphasised that any restrictions to fundamental freedoms of expression must be guided by “legality, necessity and proportionality” and applied without discrimination.
“US universities have a strong, historic tradition of student activism, strident debate and freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” Mr. Türk said.
“It must be clear that legitimate exercises of the freedom of expression cannot be conflated with incitement to violence and hatred.”
Protesters demonstrate outside the Columbia University campus in New York City.
On the occasion of Europe Day, citizens will have the opportunity to visit all the EU institutions in Brussels and beyond, learning more about what Europe does for and with them.
European Parliament
The Europe Day event in the European Parliament on 4 May will start with an opening ceremony with Vice-President Marc Angel (S&D, LU). The day will continue with activities for all ages, with info stands and short sessions on fight against disinformation, women in politics and campaigning for the elections. Citizens will be invited to learn how to vote in the European elections, why voting matters, and how to make a difference in protecting democracy. There will be guided tours of the VOTE exhibition (Parlamentarium) in Brussels. See the full programme here and the events organised in the 27 EU countries here.
Council of the European Union
On 4 May, at the Council in Brussels, visitors will have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of EU leaders. Guided tours will be organised throughout the day, without prior registration, allowing citizens to explore also the architecture of the Council buildings. Younger visitors will enjoy a series of dedicated animations including a treasure hunt. Each of the 27 Member States will have a stand putting on display national traditions, food specialities and touristic attractions. Visitors will be able to discover these in an interactive manner and attend live performances. An exhibition will be dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement. More information available here.
European Commission
On 4 May, citizens are invited to visit the Berlaymont building. The Commission will give citizens the opportunity to learn about its role, explore thematic villages set up for the occasion and discover the history of the EU and our values. Visitors will have the chance to find out what the Commission does to defend our democracy, diversity and how we are building a more digital and greener future. A dedicated section will showcase our support to Ukraine. Special activities will highlight the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement, 25 years of the euro and 30 years of the Single Market. The full programme is available here. The Representations in the Member States will also organise events.
European Central Bank
Citizens will have the chance to learn about the euro, the common currency of 20 EU countries, the digital euro project and what the ECB does to keep prices stable and banks safe and sound. On 4 May, citizens will be able to meet ECB experts at the European Commission in Brussels (more information here). Also that evening, the ECB will open its doors in Frankfurt to pre-registered visitors as part of the “Night of the Museums” initiative and on 9 May will join Frankfurt’s Europe Festival.
European Court of Auditors
On 9 May, EU auditors in Luxembourg will offer interactive engaging games, and a possibility for citizens to take a quiz to test their audit skills. Families and people of all ages will be able to learn how the Court helps to protect EU citizens’ money. Full programme here.
European External Action Service
Visitors to the European External Action Service are invited on 4 May to immerse themselves in the dynamic work of the EU diplomatic service in Brussels and around the world. They will engage in talks with EU ambassadors and learn about the EU’s role in promoting peace, human rights and sustainable development in the world. They will enjoy live music, dance performances, workshops and collect culinary inspirations from various places around the world. The immersive journey will be further enriched with screenings of diverse movies in the cinema room. Kids will be our special guests with a lot of fun activities, including a puppet show. Full programme here.
European Economic and Social Committee
The house of EU organised civil society will open its doors in Brussels on 4 May. The Committee members will engage in lively discussions with people and will hear their concerns. The programme of the day includes interactive games, an EU quiz, live music and activities for children. When visiting the EESC building, citizens will also be able to welcome EESC members and staff as they finish a cycling race to raise awareness on the European elections. Full agenda here.
European Committee of the Regions
The EU’s assembly of regions and cities will open its Brussels premises on 4 May to bring citizens together with regional and local elected politicians. Interactive stands and activities will offer the chance to get to know more about the Committee of the Regions’ role and commitment to narrowing the distance between the EU and its local communities. To mark the day – and the Committee’s 30th anniversary – there will be a festival of regions and cities with tastings, quiz games and a digital show, providing an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our territories. More information here.
European Investment Bank
At the European Investment Bank’s stand for Europe Day in Brussels on 4 May and in Luxembourg on 9 May (see details here), visitors can explore the iconic projects financed by the Bank in their country. They may also discover EIB-funded initiatives such as local hospitals, transportation infrastructure like trains or metros, or flood barriers safeguarding their hometowns. They will be able to engage with EU-related information and participate in a quiz for a chance to win a prize!
Background
On 9 May, Europe commemorates the founding document of the EU – the Schuman Declaration. Signed on 9 May 1950, the declaration was the stepping-stone to cooperation in Europe, and peace on our continent. Europe Day is a symbol of the EU’s openness, transparency, democracy, and unity.
This year’s Europe Day edition takes place 45 years after the first European elections in 1979, and shortly before the elections of 2024 that will take place between 6-9 June in all EU countries.
A new image from the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, which includes researchers and telescopes of the University of Arizona, has uncovered strong and organized magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*.
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, which in 2022 presented the first image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of our Milky Way, has captured a new view of the massive object, this time in polarized light. For the first time astronomers have been able to measure polarization, a signature of magnetic fields, this close to the edge of the black hole. The lines mark the orientation of polarization, which is related to the magnetic field around the black hole’s shadow. Image credit: EHT Collaboration
Seen in polarized light for the first time, this new view of the monster lurking at the center of our Milky Way galaxy has revealed a magnetic field structure strikingly similar to that of a much more massive black hole, known as M87*, at the center of the M87 galaxy, suggesting that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes. This similarity also hints toward a hidden jet in Sgr A*. The results were published on March 27 in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Scientists unveiled the first image of Sgr A*— which is approximately 27,000 light-years from Earth – in 2022, revealing that while the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole is more than a thousand times smaller and less massive than M87’s, it looks remarkably similar. This made scientists wonder whether the two shared common traits outside of their looks. To find out, the team decided to study Sgr A* in polarized light. Previous studies of light around M87* revealed that the magnetic fields around the black hole giant allowed it to launch powerful jets of material back into the surrounding environment. Building on this work, the new images have revealed that the same may be true for Sgr A*.
Boris Georgiev, an EHT postdoctoral researcher at UArizona’s Steward Observatory and co-author on the study, said: “The consistency of magnetic field structures around Sgr A* and M87* suggests that the processes by which black holes feed and eject jets into their surroundings may be universal, despite their vast differences in size and mass.”
“What we’re seeing now is that there are strong, twisted and organized magnetic fields near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy,” said Sara Issaoun, NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Einstein Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian and co-lead of the project. “Along with Sgr A* having a strikingly similar polarization structure to that seen in the much larger and more powerful M87* black hole, we’ve learned that strong and ordered magnetic fields are critical to how black holes interact with the gas and matter around them.”
Light is a moving oscillation of electric and magnetic fields that allows us to see objects. Sometimes, light oscillates in a preferred
orientation, also known as polarized. Although polarized light surrounds us, to human eyes it is indistinguishable from “normal,” or non-polarized, light. In the plasma around these black holes, particles whirling around magnetic field lines impart a polarization pattern perpendicular to the field. This allows astronomers to see in increasingly vivid detail what is happening in black hole regions and map their magnetic field lines.
“By imaging polarized light from hot glowing gas near black holes, we are directly inferring the structure and strength of the magnetic fields that thread the flow of gas and matter that the black hole feeds on and ejects,” said Angelo Ricarte, Harvard Black Hole Initiative Fellow and project co-lead. “Polarized light teaches us a lot more about the astrophysics, the properties of the gas and mechanisms that take place as a black hole feeds.”
But imaging black holes in polarized light isn’t as easy as putting on a pair of polarized sunglasses, and this is particularly true of Sgr A*, which is changing so fast that it doesn’t sit still for pictures. Imaging the supermassive black hole requires sophisticated tools above and beyond those previously used for capturing M87*, a much steadier target. Dan Marrone, EHT co-principal investigator and a co-author of the paper who is a professor of astronomy at Steward Observatory, and his team developed instruments that detected the polarized radio waves for this result.
“Similar to the way that polarized light can tell us the orientation of the surface it is bouncing off of, such as windows or roads, it can also show us the orientation of magnetic fields around black holes,” Marrone said. “Because the magnetic fields change rapidly around Sgr A*, turning EHT observations into polarized images was a huge challenge. We’re really proud that our data carries enough information.””
Scientists say they are excited to have images of both supermassive black holes in polarized light because these images, and the data that come with them, provide new ways to compare and contrast black holes with different sizes and environments. As technology improves, the images are likely to reveal even more secrets of black holes and their similarities or differences.
“These findings help us improve our computer models and theories and give us a better idea of what happens to matter close to a black hole’s event horizon,” added co-author Chi-kwan Chan, a UArizona professor of astronomy who focuses on theoretical modeling of black holes.
The EHT has conducted several observations since 2017. Each year, the images improve as the EHT incorporates new telescopes, larger bandwidth and new observing frequencies.
“We are developing hardware and software to automate EHT observations, thereby enabling the EHT to make more frequent observations in the future in order to capture movies of black holes,” said Amy Lowitz, an EHT research scientist at Steward Observatory who leads the EHT Agility Project.
Such observations, spanning several months, are one of the primary objectives for the EHT for the coming years, according to Remo Tilanus, a UArizona professor and the EHT operation manager who oversees the observation campaigns and technical developments.
“With the capabilities of the Agility Project, we should be able to see material swirling around M87* and being ejected into its jets,” Tilanus said.
Planned expansions for the next decade will also enable high-fidelity movies, may reveal a hidden jet in Sgr A* and will allow astronomers to observe similar polarization features in other black holes. There are even plans in the works to extend the EHT into space, providing much sharper images of black holes and enabling much more powerful studies of black hole rotation and the mechanisms that power black hole jets.
The EHT is scheduled to observe Sgr A* again in April, keeping the EHT UArizona team busy. Together with Lowitz and Georgiev, postdoctoral researcher Andrew Thomas West and graduate student Jasmin Washington are currently preparing the Submillimeter Telescope on Mount Graham and the 12-meter radio telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory on Kitt Peak for the upcoming observation.
Washington, who participated in the 2021 observing campaign as a first-year graduate student, said she enjoyed the experience and is excited to be able to return this year.
“We’ll be observing with more telescopes than ever before, giving us better coverage and more sensitivity to make these polarized measurements,” she said.
West added: “Measuring with very high fidelity how these sources have changed since they were last observed will inform our models and allow us to answer fundamental questions about the physics in these extreme environments – it is very exciting!”
