The Big Event, 2024
May 6-10, 2024
Thanks for getting pulled into Black Hole Week with us! Check out the stories, images, and news we released during the week, listed below. And join us again next year, May 5-9.
Monday, May 6
Poster: On the Brink
It can be disorienting teetering on the edge of the event horizon, contemplating the darkness that surely lies within.
Image: Galaxy with a Voracious Black Hole
Bright, starry spiral arms surround an active galactic center in this new Hubble image of galaxy NGC 4951.
Article: New NASA Black Hole Viz Takes Viewers Beyond the Brink
Ever wonder what happens when you fall into a black hole? A new NASA visualization gives you an idea.
Video: NASA Simulation’s Flight Around a Black Hole: Explained
Explore a scenario where a camera just misses a black hole's event horizon and slingshots back out
360 Video: NASA Simulation Shows a Flight Around a Black Hole
This 360-degree video lets viewers look all around during a trip around a black hole.
Resources: Black Hole Plunge and Flyby Videos
Browse explainer, 360, and Mollweide projection versions of black hole plunge and flyby videos.
Tuesday, May 7
Article: How NASA’s Roman Will Hunt for Primordial Black Holes
A group of scientists has predicted that Roman could find a class of elusive “featherweight” black holes.
Resources: Primordial Black Holes
Access an infographic about and an artist's concept of primordial black holes.
NASA's Sounds of Space Quiz
Test your sonification knowledge by matching sound to image in this quiz.
Wednesday, May 8
Article: XRISM Spots Iron Fingerprints in Nearby Active Galaxy
After starting science operations in February, Japan-led XRISM studied the monster black hole at the center of galaxy NGC 4151.
Video: What Is a Black Hole?
Black holes — what are they really? Watch the first episode of the “Astro-Investigates” series.
Wallpapers: Black Hole Backgrounds for Desktop and Phone
Black holes can’t emit their own light, but matter around them can create quite a light show. Download these wallpapers for your screens.
Thursday, May 9
Wallpapers: Mesmerizing Black Hole
This black hole just wants to be left alone, but they’ll keep an eye on your docs and apps if you ask nicely. Available for desktops and smartphones.
Article: NASA's Chandra Notices the Galactic Center is Venting
Using Chandra, astronomers located an exhaust vent attached to a “chimney” of hot gas blowing away from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Article: Images Help Explain Eating Habits of Massive Black Hole
In images from NASA’s retired Spitzer, streams of dust thousands of light-years long flow toward the heart of the Andromeda galaxy.
Friday, May 10
Video: NASA Simulation’s Plunge Into a Black Hole: Explained
This new, immersive visualization produced on a NASA supercomputer represents a scenario where a camera enters the event horizon, sealing its fate.
360 Video: NASA Simulation Plunges Into a Black Hole
This 360-degree video lets viewers look all around during a one-way trip into a black hole.
Resource: Tracking a Simulated Plunge into a Black Hole
This page contains selected stills with interesting details from a visualization of a plunge into a black hole produced on a NASA supercomputer.
