Sera Markoff Inaugural Lecture for the Plumian Professorship in Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy - 'Staring into the heart of darkness: from theory to the direct imaging of black holes'

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Sera Markoff, Plumian Professor in Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy
• Thursday 07 May 2026, 16:00-17:00
• Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Joanna Carruthers.

Black holes are the strangest prediction of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. The boundary around a black hole, known as the event horizon, is incredibly challenging to observe under normal conditions. However when a black hole consumes nearby material, it powers a system emitting partides and light. With a precise enough telescope, we can even see this as a ring of light surrounding a dark depression.

In 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a planet-sized array of radio telescopes, directly imaged this ring around two supermassive black holes. These iconic images mark both a culmination of a century of discovery and the beginning of a new chapter, with implications ranging from galaxy formation to the mystery of the highest energy particles detected on Earth.

In a talk mixing history, results, and personal anecdotes, I will convey the wonder of “seeing” the Universe in a new light, and sometimes with no light at all. I will also explore what lies on the horizon, as multi-messenger observations and advances in theoretical modelling converge on some of the deepest unsolved problems in physics.

This talk is part of the Institute of Astronomy Colloquia series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Cambridge Astronomy Talks
• Combined External Astrophysics Talks DAMTP
• Cosmology lists
• Cosmology, Astrophysics and General Relativity
• Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy
• Institute of Astronomy Colloquia
• Institute of Astronomy Talk Lists
• Kavli Institute for Cosmology Talk Lists
• Priscilla

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.