Following up on the first image of a supermassive black hole

Following up on the first image of a supermassive black hole

2025-01-23

Taiwan-based researchers in the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration project on Thursday held a press conference highlighting their latest results. There are more than 400 astrophysicists worldwide participating in this international research project, observing two galactic center black holes. The focus of the Taiwanese researchers is the supper massive black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, known as M87. Let’s hear more.

Britton Harold Jeter
Academia Sinica postdoctoral fellow
In this case, the diameter corresponds to the mass of this black hole of six and a half billion suns. The asymmetry in brightness, that is, being bright at the bottom of the ring and dim at the top, comes from a combination of effects, from both the spin of the black hole, the rotation of the accretion flow, and effects from strong gravitational lensing and Doppler beaming, leading to one side being brighter than the other.

Pu Hung-yi
National Taiwan Normal University assistant professor
The clearer the image of a black hole, the deeper we get to understand the spacetime of a black hole and the surrounding spacetime. Each black hole behaves differently. For example, some have jets, while others don’t. The direction of jets and the speed of black hole spins are all related to the evolution of the universe, how a black hole affects its surroundings, and even the evolution of a galaxy.

The press conference at Academia Sinica explains the main findings of a recent publication in the latest volume of “Astronomy & Astrophysics,” a leading academic journal. A total of 180,000 simulation images were analyzed, 120,000 more than a previous research that resulted in the very first image of a black hole in 2019. The researchers found that their observation of rotating gas around the M87’s black hole could help scientists better understand the dynamics of black hole environments.

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M87黑洞新影像曝光！歷經7年研究有重大突破

2025-01-23

台師大與中研院天文所，參與的EHT「事件視界望遠鏡」團隊，今天公布18萬張M87黑洞的最新影像，這項研究證實，透過吸積盤中的湍流，解釋2017年與2018年黑洞偏移。

[[中研院天文所博後紀柏特]]
“這個明亮的這個光圈的結構的大小，我們可以推算出這個黑洞，大概是有65億個太陽質量這麼重，周圍的這些光線它有個亮度不對稱的現象，那是因為在黑洞周圍，以高溫運行的物質所放出來的輻射，它受到黑洞的重力效應，以及都卜勒效應影響所造成的”

[[台師大物理系助理教授卜宏毅]]
“把黑洞的影像看得更清晰的話，那我們可以對黑洞的時空，周圍的時空有更深入的了解，不同的黑洞它有不同的表現，譬如說有的黑洞有噴流，有的沒有，那它的噴流的方向會是什麼，或者是這些黑洞的轉速是什麼，那這些其實都跟宇宙的演化，還有黑洞怎麼影響周圍，甚至星系的演化相關”

今天公布18萬張M87黑洞的最新影像，這項研究證實，透過吸積盤中的湍流，解釋2017年與2018年黑洞偏移。透過18萬張黑洞影像分析，驗證黑洞光環與2017年所觀測的大小相同，符合廣義相對論的預測，而環的最亮處位置明顯偏轉，與理論預測黑洞周圍紊流的變異性一致。研究成果也發表於"天文與天文物理"國際期刊。

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The nine-day Spring festival holiday is about to begin, which means taxi fares will now have a holiday surcharge. Taking Taipei for an example, each ride will now cost NT$30 more. Before you start fumbling for extra charges, rest assured that the additional fees will be added to the fare and you’ll only have to pay the amount shown on the taxi meter.

Taxi fares are going up ahead of the Lunar New Year. Greater Taipei and Keelung already started adding on the Spring Festival surcharge on Wednesday. Drivers in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung will follow suit on Friday.

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I take the taxi for convenience. It’s OK to pay a little bit more, at least I save time.

Mr. Chuang
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Why would it make a difference? We’re only adding on NT$30, it’s not a lot. I might get only 10 passengers a day, mostly travelers, because there are many travelers coming back now. NT$30 really hardly makes any difference.

Each trip costs an additional NT$30 in Greater Taipei and Keelung, while the extra charge will be NT$50 in Taoyuan. But if you’re traveling to Taoyuan International Airport, it’ll be NT$100. The surcharge in Central and Southern Taiwan will be NT$50 in most places.

Chen Chien-ti
Taipei Taxi Drivers Union
The Spring Festival extra charge is an additional income for our members. Some drivers may do more trips for the extra charge and take time off after the Lunar New Year holidays. Every taxi meter has a setting for the Spring Festival extra charge. All the driver has to do is to push the button for the Spring Festival extra charge, and then it’ll be added to the fare. So when the passenger is about to get off, the driver won’t ask for the extra charge again.

The surcharge will apply for eight to 12 days, depending on the region. Over this period, the taxi meter will clearly show the characters for Spring Festival. In Taipei, fares will start from NT$115 instead of NT$85. Taxi drivers who ask for more face fines of up to NT$90,000.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Pet sitters in high demand as owners travel abroad for break

Pet sitters are in high demand for the Lunar New Year break, as animal lovers head out of the country for vacation. A pet service platform says some pet sitters can make up to NT$118,000 during the holidays. With rates going from NT$400 to NT$600 per day, and some 10 assignments to be taken daily, there is plenty of opportunities to get an extra cash to splash in the New Year.

With more than a week off work for the Lunar New Year, many people are traveling abroad. For pet owners, finding a suitable nanny is essential.

Amy
Pet sitter
It’s NT$400 to NT$600 per visit. Each visit is about half an hour. The total price is around NT$500 regardless of how many pets there are, as long as all the tasks can be completed within half an hour. That means that during the Lunar New Year break, I can do about 8 to 10 assignments per day.

Ms. Shen
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I read the reviews and interviewed the sitter. We also have security cameras and a building caretaker. I informed the caretaker of the hours the sitter would come. My front door has a digital lock, you can set which times people can access my house. When the sitter comes, the security cameras send me a notification over Line. Basically, all the technology gives us peace of mind about taking care of our cat.

Pet hotels are packed during the Lunar New Year, creating plenty of business opportunities for pet sitters. Rates start at NT$400 per half hour all the way up to NT$600. For sitters, the break is a great opportunity to make some extra cash for the holidays.

Candace Chen
Pet sitter platform
We took a look at the figures, and the biggest earners can make up to NT$118,000. Then there’s also some that make NT$80,000 to NT$90,000. There are a lot of assignments that can be had during the Lunar New Year and in January.

The lucrative occupation is attracting more and more people. The number of pet sitters grew from more than 4,000 in 2023, to more than 8,000 in 2024, both part-time and full-time. Plenty of job opportunities are cropping up amid Taiwan’s growing pet economy.

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AI phones rapidly gaining popularity amid diverse offerings

AI phones have become the latest trend for tech-heads, having already achieved global penetration rate of 16.8%. Phone brands are offering phone models with a wide variety of functions at different price points. Some of the biggest names include Samsung, with its Galaxy S25 series, Apple with the iPhone 16 and Xiaomi with the 14T Pro.

Enfys Yeh
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For this Lunar New Year, you can create an e-card in less than 30 seconds with the phone’s smart drawing assistant.

Fast and easy! You can also try out different styles with a tap, from watercolors to illustrations. The AI functions are not just for images, but also sounds.

Record a live performance, and you can get rid of any ambient noise with just a few taps. Or if you want, leave only the instrumental sound. The sound eraser tool can separate an audio recording into separate channels such as human voice, noise, music and wind.

Chiu Po-ching
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According to the forecasts by a market research company, though the overall smartphone market will only expand by 4% in 2025, the penetration rate of AI phones will shoot up from 18% to 30%.

AI phones are trending. Functions include a photo editor that uses AI algorithms to detect faces and change their expressions to never again take a bad photo.

There are plenty of models to choose from. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 flagship series has smart tools for searches, calls and writing. Apple’s iPhone 16 and 15 Pro have Apple AI in some regions not including Taiwan. Its functions include writing and upgrades for Siri and photo retouching. Xiaomi is not far behind. Its 14T Pro has Gemini, an AI assistant, and it can generate subtitles and translate audio on the spot. It is marketed as an indispensable tool for travelers who may not know the language at their destinations.

Liao A-hui
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If you want to buy one, Samsung still has the most comprehensive system. When it comes to Xiaomi, things are very simple. It is the cheapest one and its price-performance ratio is quite good. As for Apple, I think we need to wait a little longer. The traditional Chinese AI functions aren’t live yet, and they aren’t expected to launch until next year.

According to the Institute for Information Industry, AI phones have a 16.8% penetration rate in the world, with some 44 million units shipped globally. Users are hoping that their AI functions will make life that much more convenient.

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Yunlin County is getting creative in its response to the waste problem. Every local government in Taiwan faces the difficult task of dealing with the mountains of waste that our modern lifestyles produce. Yunlin has taken the unusual step of using recycled incinerator ash to create artwork for the home. From decorative flower pots to aroma stones, this waste has become treasure. The county’s Environmental Protection Bureau says it is also ramping up use of the recycled materials in construction projects. It wants to raise awareness about the waste dilemma, and spread the message: “Waste is a resource.”

These exquisite aroma stones are all made of recycled waste. The Environmental Protection Bureau of Yunlin County is using discarded materials in a creative way.

Teng Ya-chen
Yunlin County Environmental Protection Bureau
We hope the public can upgrade: waste is no longer waste. It is a usable resource.

Sacks large and small form a mountain of garbage. Working out how to deal with these tsunamis of waste is a headache for every county and city.

Teng Ya-chen
Yunlin County Environmental Protection Bureau
Yunlin County does not have any operational incinerators. So we have long relied on external support to manage our waste.

Incinerator bottom ash is processed and turned into CLSM, a backfill material for public construction projects such as the foundations of buildings, temporary road works, or filling in obsolete pipes. Now the bureau is getting creative by making these aroma stones and plant pots, and even offering a class in how to make them.

Member of public
It looks very special and it’s made of recycled materials. It’s really unusual that Yunlin is making things like this. The concept is recycling and reusing resources. So I think creating things from waste shows how Yunlin is making progress.

Using waste in construction and even in creative projects like this is a first for Yunlin. It hopes to raise awareness of the potential to recycle incinerator ash and create a more sustainable society.

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