Abstract:
The discovery of radio emission from the centre of our galaxy leading
up to the EHT image of the SgrA* black hole is a story of discovery,
controversy, serendipity, black holes, Nobel prizes, mysterious
patterns around the galactic centre and now the EHT black hole image
magic. The initial discovery of the radio source Sagittarius A and
its association with the centre of the Milky Way is a fascinating
story, involving CSIRO-RPL personnel and prominent US and Dutch
astronomers. But by “discovery” I do not mean a single event. Contrary to
the conventions in science that award prizes, professional respect and
makes press releases, discovery is a lengthy process involving many
actors, many different kinds of contributions, and many events over a
period of time -- 70 years in the case of the galactic centre! I will
conclude with a summary of the EHT result and my views on this very
difficult analysis.
|