A lot of what we interpret from our astronomical telescopes is either through images/videos or raw data rendered understandable through physical plots in real or Fourier spaces. But what if we can render that data to cater to the other human senses? In this blog article I discuss very briefly the mechanics of data sonification […]
Understanding data through other senses: Data Sonification Read More »
An exhibition about black holes will open next week at the Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen, where we can think about the mysteries surrounding these extreme gravity objects. Those astrophysical monsters have not only inspired scientists but also artists from all fields, especially in visual arts and music. A great example is the Black Hole Symphony
Visualizing Black Holes Read More »
Few individuals have left as profound a mark on the world as J. Robert Oppenheimer, renowned for his pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Yet, Oppenheimer’s contributions extend far beyond this infamous accomplishment. Last month, I watched the premiere of Oppenheimer in the cinema and was intrigued by a
Read this before watching Oppenheimer Read More »
The last three weeks have been exciting for three members of the Jetset group, namely Prof. Sera Markoff and her two students, León Sosapanta Salas and Wanga Mulaudzi. The three first travelled to Hong Kong to attend the ‘Astrophysical Black Holes: A Rapidly Moving Field‘, which was a meeting in honour of the 2020 Shaw
Science Enables Globetrotting! Read More »
As a highly trained professional in a complex field with rare skills, the main question on my mind is “Will I be replaced by a box in the corner ?” To answer this question I decided to put ChatGPT-4 to the test in the common-or-garden field of high-energy astrophysics and, in the interest of fairness,
Rise of the Machines… Read More »
Ok I am super tardy with my turn to do our research group’s blog, but there’s always a lot to juggle between running a group at a university, and all the other things I do as a professional scientist. However I do always make time for a significant amount of engagement with the public about
Why talking about science to the public makes you a better scientist Read More »
Black holes are some of the most fascinating objects in the universe, known for their immense gravity and mysterious nature. While they are famously known for their ability to swallow everything in their vicinity, including light, black holes can also emit powerful beams of energy called jets. Jets are narrow beams of plasma that shoot
The Secrets of Black Hole Jets Read More »
Ever wonder about the lifetime of a star or how black holes form as stellar remnants? When clouds of gas and dust cool and collapse under gravitational forces, they form protostars. Protostars can be seen as the infancy stage of stars because they are still gathering mass from the parent molecular cloud. The masses of
From Life to Death Read More »
Often in these blog posts we talk about two things. At one end of the spectrum, there are supermassive black holes that exist in the centre of galaxies (106 – 1010 M⊙). And at the other, stellar mass black holes (∼ 10 M⊙), which are the endpoints of the evolution of the most massive stars
The forgotten middle child of black holes Read More »
As a scientist who works in a black hole research group, I am often stopped on the street and asked “What is the nearest black hole to Earth?” to which I might mumble “Hmmm, oh, hmmm, I’m guessing its perhaps Cygnus X-1 ?”. ( In fact, its not. Cygnus X-1 is simply the first black
When Making the Nearest Black Hole, Three May Not Be a Crowd ! Read More »
