Black holes suck public into ‘amazing discoveries' at Texas Science Festival
'It's so critical that we convey both the importance of the work to the general public, but also bring them in to the kind of awe and wonder that is that discovery,' said Dean of the College of Natural Sciences David Vanden Bout.
The festival runs from Feb. 21 to March 1. Events are held across the state, from McDonald Observatory in west Texas to UT's campus along the coast.
'Scientists make amazing discoveries all the time and are invested in understanding our natural world, and sometimes we aren't great at bringing that news to the public,' Vanden Bout said.
One of the events is an exploration of black holes hosted by UT's Department of Astronomy chair Karl Gebhardt.
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Gebhardt will discuss what he calls 'the most important image ever taken in the history of astronomy.' That picture is the only photo ever taken of a black hole.
'It's kind of crazy how they took telescopes around the whole earth, and they came together to make this crazy image,' Gebhardt said.
The image contains the outline of a black hole. No line is emitted from a black hole, so scientists had to take a photo of the light behind it, cutting the phenom into a silhouette.
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According to Gebhardt, black holes are so important because they contain 'the actual physics of where we live, of trying to integrate space and time, and it's the physical entity that which all of our models are based on.'
His event, 'Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know,' is already sold out. However, there are many other events, both virtual and in-person that people can attend.
A few highlights include:
'Mars Livestream' – Feb. 26 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
'Memory Matters: Learning Throughout the Lifespan' – Feb. 27 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
'No Shortcuts to the Top: Nutrition and Science on the World's Highest Mountains' – Feb. 27 from 7 to 8 p.m.
'The Science of Modern and Contemporary Public Art Preservation: A Walking Tour' – Feb. 28 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
'Guardians of Our Water' – March 3 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
For Vanden Bout, the variety of events and options to attend are essential to the festival.
'It's a really great chance to bring people into the university and let them see what's going on, but also a chance for us to get out into the community and bring our science directly to people.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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