Saturday, October 15, 2022

Heiko Falcke - Black Hole Lecture @ Leiden

After a 3,5h drive both Walter and myself arrived in Leiden. We found a restaurant " De Vriend" which served food within a half hour time window. The staff was very cooperative to get the food served; we even got time for a dessert. Thx!



Lecture by Heino Falcke on black holes in Leiden. Leiden is currently the City of Science 2022. The mystery of black holes is far from solved, but we do have a picture! It was sensational world news: on April 10, 2019, Heino Falcke, international scientist and preacher in his spare time, presented the very first photograph ever taken of a black hole. What does that space have to teach us about the world, and about ourselves, and maybe even about God? 



During the first hour Prof. dr Heino Falcke talked about black holes and how the first picture was made. After a small break, the setting of the room was changed; the chairs were set in a circle. Due to this setting the scientifical lecture felt like a living room discussion. The audience got the chance to ask questions. Not only scientifical questions but also religious questions.  This set up was a very interesting experience.
 
Prof. dr. Heino Falcke Heino Falcke is professor of Astroparticle Physics and Radio Astronomy at the Institute for Mathematics, Astronomy and Particle Physics (IMAPP) at Radboud University Nijmegen. Falcke is known for his research in the field of black holes. We are not talking about just black holes, but about supermassive black holes. In addition, he is engaged in researching the limits of the universe.