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Why can we see the shadow of the blackhole in M87 if matter swirls in 3d and should cover it?
3 Answers
- Ronald 7Lv 77 months ago
Because the Same Matter is joining the Accretion Disc
We basically are looking straight down its throat
- UserLv 77 months ago
Why should matter cover it just because matter "swirls in 3d"?
Why can you see ANY shadow?
In this case, the "shadow" is the same SORT of shadow as the shadow of the Moon (i.e. the part of the "face" of the Moon that is not bright, that is not reflecting sunlight)
More info regarding **what that picture actually is**:
- nebLv 77 months ago
We can see near the event horizon because it is a rotating black hole so the matter surrounding it is not spherically symmetric, but symmetric about the axis of rotation. I would guess that axis of rotation has a small angle with earth.
As an afterthought, depending on angles, you can also see the accretion disk from the backside of the blackhole as the light is curved around from the backside of the black hole to appear to be above/below/side.
