Colleges tend to take their rivalries very seriously, as often the competition goes well beyond sports. However, two schools in Texas recently came together in the name of science. Both the University of Texas and Texas Tech University helped produce the first image of the Milky Way’s black hole that was released for the first time.
Last week, the first ever images of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A*, was released. While the image was fuzzy, it took a collection of eight synchronized radio telescopes from around the world to capture. While many were involved in capturing the first image of the black hole, it was two Texas institutions that played an integral part.
According to CW33, the research was supported by “the most powerful supercomputer in academia,” he Frontera supercomputer at the University of Texas at Austin. Also, Texas Tech University’s NASA Einstein Fellow, Alexandra Tetarenko, helped produce the first image of Sagittarius A* alongside other astronomers. While the rivalry between the schools remain, the once in a lifetime image wouldn’t have been possible without both institutions.
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