Come help scientists detect black holes! A network of European astronomers invites the general public to help them find the origin of complex structures detected in the universe, which are linked to supermassive black holes present in the center of galaxies.
This new participatory science program is called LOFAR Radio Galaxy Zoo. Any internet user can "help the scientific community" to analyze the data collected by the LOFAR radio telescope, a set of antennas distributed in Europe, said a press release on Tuesday.
# Press release 🗞️ | LOFAR Radio Galaxy Zoo is a new #ScienceParticipative program launched worldwide 🌍. Anyone with a computer can help the scientific community understand the source of black hole sources ...
➡️ https://t.co/IQqoCeDXIi pic.twitter.com/rP0kalrERG
Observe black holes through their particles
LOFAR observes the radio waves emitted in the Universe to build a vast image of the "radio sky". Unlike images taken with optical telescopes, stars and galaxies are not visible there. On the other hand, we see there structures with complex shapes of mysterious origin.
"We observe radio waves from charged particles, which are produced by hyper-violent physical phenomena" like black holes, explains Cyril Tasse, astrophysicist and one of the initiators of the project. When a supermassive black hole is active, LOFAR only shows the particle jets it produces - large plumes of gas ejected far away - and not the black hole itself. It's like seeing the wake of a boat without the boat.
150,000 complex sources to identify
Scientists need to locate these black holes, to know their "host galaxy", to be able to reconstruct the scenario of their formation millions or even billions of years ago, and understand why they are at the center of all galaxies. Hence the idea of this participatory science site to be made.
Indeed, "LOFAR generates monstrous amounts of data (50 petabytes, or a stack of DVDs as high as 40 times the Eiffel Tower)", explains Cyril Tasse. “150,000 complex sources need to be identified, and they can only be identified by eye. Thanks to a video tutorial, each participant can superimpose a radio image and an optical image, and thus find the galaxy hosting the black hole. Astronomers expect a million clicks.
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