How to Understand What Black Holes Look Like

We have just seen the first image of a black hole, the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87 with a mass 6.5 billion times that of our sun. But what is that image really showing us?
This is an awesome paper on the topic by J.P. Luminet:
Image of a spherical black hole with thin accretion disk
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 75, no. 1-2, May 1979, p. 228-235
ve42.co/luminet
Using my every day intuition I wondered: will we see the "shadow" of the black hole even if we're looking edge on at the accretion disk? The answer is yes because the black hole warps space-time, so even if we wouldn't normally be able to see the back of the accretion disk, we can in this case because its light is bent up and over the black hole. Similarly we can see light from the bottom of the back of the accretion disk because it's bent under the bottom of the black hole. Plus there are additional images from light that does a half turn around the black hole leading to the inner rings.
What about the black hole "shadow" itself? Well initially I thought it can't be an image of the event horizon because it's so much bigger (2.6 times bigger). But if you trace back the rays, you find that for every point in the shadow, there is a corresponding ray that traces back to the event horizon. So in fact from our one observing location, we see all sides of the event horizon simultaneously! In fact infinitely many of these images, accounting for the virtually infinite number of times a photon can orbit the black hole before falling in. The edge of the shadow is due to the photon sphere - the radius at which light goes around in closed orbits. If a light ray coming in at an oblique angle just skims the photon sphere and then travels on to our telescopes, that is the closest 'impact parameter' possible, and it occurs at sqrt(27)/2*r_s
Huge thanks to:
Prof. Geraint Lewis
University of Sydney ve42.co/gfl
Like him, I'm hoping (predicting?) we'll see some moving images of black holes tomorrow
Prof. Rana Adhikari
Caltech ve42.co/Rana
Riccardo Antonelli - for excellent images of black holes, simulations and ray-tracing code, check out:
ve42.co/rantonels
The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Check out their resources and get your local link for the livestream here: ve42.co/EHT
Special thanks to Patreon supporters:
Donal Botkin, Michael Krugman, Ron Neal, Stan Presolski, Terrance Shepherd, Penward Rhyme
Filming by Raquel Nuno
Animation by Maria Raykova

[@SingaporeSkaterSam]

Walter Lewin, legendary physics lecturer, just cited this video of yours as the best explanation of the image, in case you didn't know.

[@armiakhairy2402]

Just came from his playlist

[@naresu]

Just came from his video

[@wearehiddenservices5573]

Be proud man. Good work

[@TheShamansQuestion]

Wow!

[@connorbranscombe6819]

@Joe Chang Lol yeah bro im sure an armchair scientist on KZbin knows more about the way physics work then, you know, ACTUAL physicists.

[@WarpRulez]

Fun fact: When they were making that movie, Interstellar, they tried to simulate mathematically accurately what the black hole would look like from far away more or less just as an experiment, expecting it to look so boring that they would have to embellish it in order to make it more interesting for the movie, but when they saw the end result it was so spectacular-looking that they decided to go with the mathematically accurate visuals.

[@spaceepandaa]

Gargantua was absolutely stunning

[@schwarzeele1468]

Gargantua Black Hole is revolutionary.

[@picassoboy52]

Wish people would stop saying "fun fact" just get on with it

[@sonicx254shere3]

Yeah and then they actually contributed to the field of science by publishing 2 accurate papres!!! For those of u who wanna know a bit more abt this story heres the link to the vid from where i knew abt it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/emimp2qua8-dj7M Great channel btw for all of those movie fans out there!! (ps: love interstellar my 3rd favourite movie! :) )

[@herrsan]

well, not entirely correct. they left out the part depitcted in 08:28 as it was considered to be too complicated/confusing for the audience. hence, gargantua's accretion disk was portrayed as equally bright which would actually not be the case.

[@thitiwatroongruangmanirat8608]

0:26 “If you are disappointed by this image, I think that misses the gravity of the situation.” Very well played, Derek.

[@robertvasquez3340]

Brother..........This was S tier education!

[@72tube]

천문학을 연구하던 무리뉴 젊은시절...😂

[@chosentonessournotes]

It makes me so sad that Steven Hawking died a year before the image was released… He studied the universe, and more specifically, black holes, his entire life… RIP Steven!

[@saikrishnanpm6972]

True brother..

[@YoungPhysicistsClub1729]

*Stephen not steven

[@UPIL.INDONESIA]

Well, to be fair, Einstein died far before he can see black holes. He's the one introduces the general relativity theory; he was also speculating on black holes; Stephen also contributes to this knowledge too. And yes, they have tremendous contributions. But our future generations, should also contribute and may not expect to see them. Because science is all about contribution to the community for future generation to see and use. 😊

[@jasonl8720]

Stephen Hawking was an evil, vile man

[@netez5252]

I think we can find solace in the fact that he used mathematics to see it for himself long before the image ever came to be.

[@tobblesmash6193]

The fact that the prediction was so close just goes to show how accurate theoritical physics is, we might not have seen the universe, but the physics we know helps us predict everything with a crazy amount of certainty.

[@MauriceMuhumuza]

Quantum Mechanics left the group

[@ossiehalvorson7702]

@@MauriceMuhumuza Not exactly. We've learned to predict the effects of quantum physics with a high level of accuracy, but the problem is, unlike relativity where something either "is or isn't", quantum physics is based on probability. There is no certainty of a single possibility like relativity, but we can calculate the probabilities, and have certainty that it'll be *one* of those probabilities.

[@rayan-xg5kw]

@@ossiehalvorson7702 yeah, it's the nature itself of quantum physics. What matters is that we're certain about what kind of possibilities there are. Maybe when we'll achieve a theory of everything we'll be able to predict quantum physics as well.

[@ossiehalvorson7702]

@@rayan-xg5kw The biggest obstacle at the moment is that, while we're getting very good at using and abiding by the "rules" of quantum physics, we're still pretty massively stumped on the fundamental source of those "rules", such as how and why those probabilities are set one way rather than another. If we can figure out those fundamentals, I bet we'll be pretty close to a unified theory!

[@hisdudeness4537]

But never certain enough.

[@JChill-ot9lc]

Watching this 9 months later to realize how incredible CLOSE his chalkboard drawing was. About 99% accurate to the real picture!

[@faiscaarthur4257]

it just wasnt even more accurate because its impossible to recreate a 100% accurate image in a chalkboard lmao

[@60bpmmusic_]

Mojo Jojo lol

[@PrSunflower]

Same for me! 7:13 OMG he predicted the picture in the right way!

[@autumnleaf2976]

@Mojo Jojo I hope you are trolling

[@youtubespectator669]

more like 100%

[@heatguillen]

FINALLY! This is seriously the first video that thoroughly explains the physics that I'm seeing. It's astonishing how simple this is to explain but yet NO ONE has done this yet, but you! Thank you! 😊

[@TunaIRL]

3 years ago. Who's to say someone didn't do this yet you just didn't happen to find it?

[@MoahGentle]

I thought the exact same thing!

[@jj53368]

@@TunaIRL Think about it…is your comment really necessary?

[@TunaIRL]

@@jj53368 Probably depends on what makes a comment "necessary". And then you'd have make a premise from it. Is it good or bad if a comment even is necessary? I invite you to think about what you just said by asking, is your comment necessary?

[@hotshot6674]

But it's still a guess, since we don't fully understand what a black hole is.

[@antonsyakkingandfishing]

Thanks, this is the FIRST TIME that I have actually understood the 3D images I have seen of black holes. Previously I couldn’t get my head around what I was seeing, but not any more. Again, thank you for you simple, but detailed explanation. 👍👍👍

[@resress3489]

вернее сказать теория!!! а не факт!

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

Black holes: "Neat." The prop work in this video: "OH MY GOD, THAT'S AMAZING!"

[@mukundbhanot7144]

I know right?! It is something that is easily overlooked.

[@mukundbhanot7144]

@Dave Micolichek that doesn't make sense.

[@mikebarnes7441]

Shitty comment

[@wolfyonlyeatsbanana2498]

@@mikebarnes7441 don't be rude

[@BHNative]

Stop already with those kinds of comments. Jesus Christ. The thumbs up don't amount to anything.

[@ElectroBOOM]

It's funny, the black hole image they got is exactly the same as you drew on your black board. Why did they spend so much when they could just ask you to draw it?! Good job!

[@ronyronouk]

Based on theory, drawing a thing is called prediction. And when the actual image matches the prediction, that means that the theory is right. And till date, General Relativity Theory is nailing every prediction it made over a hundred years ago.

[@saji.2874]

Rony Ronouk he knows, itsa joke.

[@saulmejia627]

r/woooosh

[@ronyronouk]

@@saji.2874: I know that buddy. Just trying to clear the things up so that nobody start "why it's so important?" kinds of bullsh**.

[@senshi01]

@@ronyronouk Einstein still nailing it.

[@gulliblegreedyignorantindi1427]

Wow, that was an awesome presentation on black holes. You made a beautiful, well layered physical model of the various aspects of the black holes. I'm going to be coming back to this. Quite helpful. The black holes point of singularity, event horizon, accretion disk, etc. are all fascinating to try and comprehend. ThankYou for sharing.

[@kyholt04]

This single video just answered so many questions for me. I appreciate you taking the time to break all this down sir 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@FuryWZM]

Quran 53:1 "And the star when it falls" 53:7 "while on the highest point above the horizon" 53:17 "The ˹Prophet’s˺ sight never wandered, nor did it overreach" Because u cant see it 53:14 "at the Lote Tree of the most extreme limit ˹in the seventh heaven Black hole being of funnel shape 53:18 "He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs"

[@randirafaeli]

"Misses the gravity of the situation" pun clearly intended

[@MBeckers]

yet I loved it anyway

[@41-Haiku]

You missed "I can be relatively confident."

[@randirafaeli]

@@41-Haiku lol thank you

[@mconnaghan]

This video is missing a rimshot and laugh track right there.

[@BariiAlyn]

Thanks, Dad.

[@lowkeysoundsystem6174]

You absolutely nailed the "fuzzy coffee mug stain" description.

[@Kelnx]

Well if he had drawn anything else it would not have made sense with respect to what a black hole is supposed to be and how it interacts with light and matter (And spacetime). He did explain why it would look that way. If it had looked much different then that would have been exciting for a whole other set of reasons. That's what I love about an observation like this...no matter what we saw, it would have been a huge confirmation(s) or a huge discovery. It's a win-win.

[@captainobvious3174]

Low Key Sound System jajaja

[@JebemTiZivot]

Captain Obvious you think youre cool cuz you can laugh in spanish? Stfu

[@hioeo]

No surprise, really. Scientists have been looking forward to something like this for DECADES, that description must have been circulating since the concept of taking a picture of a black hole existed.

[@expiredflunky5603]

Jesus Christ Jesus

[@tombargeloh3467]

I’ve been wondering about this for years, thank you for explaining it so well! Excellent video.

[@ajitjoseph9522]

Super explanation. Just blew my mind. Now that it's almost 3 years after the first image of the black hole was shared to the world, I can imagine how much effort you must have taken to explain it in this way, before the photo was share in media. Thanks, and great explanation man. All the best.

[@HighScarlettFever]

"If you're disappointed by this image..." Nope. It's every bit as terrifying as I thought it'd be.

[@kolmenoitaayeet]

and exciting!!

[@iReppoGames]

That's not the image of the black hole. The real one's getting revealed tomorrow, 10th of April.

[@edthoreum7625]

nuclear vaccum...

[@Joe.484]

@@iReppoGames Orly?

[@kolmenoitaayeet]

@@iReppoGames Do you mean Derek's crayon drawing isn't the real image?

[@mrbomplastik]

Fun Fact: The Schwarzschild radius is named after a guy called Schwarzschild, whose name translates to black shield, which makes a lot of sense.

[@petersparker7864]

Oh that makes a lot of sense

[@peterparker9286]

Hey pete hello my doppelganger cyber cool. Gravitate on my man.

[@Birdylockso]

I noticed that name also and was wondering if there is any irony there.

[@TrixieWolf]

"Use... The Force?" "No. The Schwarz, child."

[@disarisumbrus4492]

THE BLACK SHIELD RADIUS

[@ankitsony2736]

Beautifully explained.. thanks!!

[@THR_Snakey]

By far the best and simplest explanation on why we see black holes the way we see them.

[@saicharangarrepalli9590]

"If you are disappointed by this image I think that misses the GRAVITY of the situation"

[@karinkishiryu7459]

I read this at the same time it was played on the video

[@pedroam7218]

i missed the joke until this comment

[@ujagaradhikari6397]

Yes

[@noahgreenstein-sheppard66]

I knew someone would say this

[@th3s3rv37]

Snap. Took the words. Darn it 😂

[@shamsiddinnabiev3151]

Great job, but the video lacks dramatic music by Hanz Zimmer))

[@Shenron557]

Yeah, that would have taken this video to the next level. "No Time for Caution" - Hans Zimmer

[@AnishNapper]

lol

[@roke77]

lol

[@GTXDash]

Copyright issues obviously

[@sesame88]

I'm hearing the theme song from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[@bladactania]

This is the first time I've seen an explanation for not only the telescope images you referred to in this video, but why the Interstellar black hole was shown the way it was. I'm glad to know that the images from the movie were informed by science and now I've seen this explanation, I understand! Thank you!

[@billyskittles1036]

Dude was spot-on with how the real black hole would look. Very clear, informative video.

[@zapfanzapfan]

Physical props instead of a lot of CGI, well done!

[@pnutdraws]

i like it but a cgi would help better understand it

[@raulssorban]

zapfanzapfan CGI isn't all that bad.

[@shahabazkhan1]

Just like The Curiosity Show

[@claudiu_ivan]

I guess you have no ideea how hard it is to make CGI.

[@locjacko129]

Correct, sometimes (or many times) CGI caused too much impression that distracted viewers.

[@Riteshkrpanda]

This is why I am too excited to study Physics and not excited at all at the same time.. it's too complicated yet too fascinating

[@sanketshah1579]

Schrodingers excitement

[@Riteshkrpanda]

@@sanketshah1579 yep 😂

[@arafat9828]

@@sanketshah1579 Physics joke 😂

[@akashissharma]

U need a good teacher

[@DaveJ188]

As someone with an Engineering Physics degree, can confirm.

[@ry03pn]

Dude, what an absolute fantastic explanation with a practical and very understandable demo. bravo!

[@TheAmazingJoleeta]

I’m an arts student who desperately loves sciences and I’ve been trying to understand what’s happening in the black hole images, I finally do, thank you 🙏

[@pixelrayted]

I finally understand that image of the Interstellar black hole. Thank you.

[@HelpMeFindTheseSongs]

What image? It hasn't been released yet.

[@noahmarchais804]

@@HelpMeFindTheseSongs the movie intersteller

[@nuclearping]

@@HelpMeFindTheseSongs He means the black hole in the MOVIE "Interstellar". PS: You posted a silly comment "1 minute ago" and it already has a like? Did you upvote your own comment? D:

[@secularmonk5176]

@G123 Assuming you aren't a deliberate troll: In the movie "Interstellar," the only "explanation" for the way something looks in space was referring to why a wormhole would look spherical rather than like a flat disk (this is an entirely different phenomenon than the black hole Gargantua, encountered at the other end of the wormhole in that movie)

[@shamsow]

@G123 Haha, you call someone a bozo but you completely misunderstood the entire point of this video

[@linus1594]

'I think that misses the gravity of this situation' Damn..

[@idontwantahandlebruh]

Linus yea maybe because the hole thing is black

[@AhanafRusho]

I saw what he did there

[@musicbyMRPH]

Also the "I can be relatively confident because....(of Einstein)"

[@fredmiandoab5329]

Thank you very much for explaining this. I had looked at the black hole representations and never understood what I was looking at until I saw your detailed explanation. Thank you!

[@se7entimes7]

Excellent explanation. Your video has aged very well, as your hypothesis was pretty spot on to what was actually captured.

[@GigantorsDAD]

The best explanation of Black Hole imagery I've ever heard.

[@that_one_guy934]

Yup

[@subscribo2059]

And for that reason alone You should SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL 😃😐🚪🚶‍♂️

[@pfinton]

"Gravity of the situation" not just a rapid nose exhale, a full chuckle. Well done sir.

[@vpfree06]

Happy to see someone else picking up on the puns. And yes, I got a good chuckle myself.

[@DadAKABrian]

@@vpfree06 it wasn't subtle or clever

[@ProFow]

Nerd

[@nickx831]

Ya, not very clever or funny for that MATTER.

[@reshpeck]

I almost clicked away when he said that

[@DeAlpineBro]

I'm in the middle of a Professor Dave explaining junior high physics to Pierre-Marie Robitaille "Sky Scholar" video and he recommended I should watch this. Definitely worth it!(:-)

[@homast3632]

Great presentation! It’s very clear and illustrated to explain what are black holes.

[@thisfeatureisdumbandredundant]

That moment when Derek predicts the black hole's image spot on.

[@greenricky4782]

HARD PP I know we have the coolest science teacher and he's on KZbin!

[@pp_diniz]

Hat off to you!

[@DerekReznik]

He didn't predict it since researchers have known what its supposed to look like for a long time. They just never had any actual proof. He just explained it really well. I mean he showed a picture from the movie Interstellar that showed what a black hole looked like, and that movie was released 2014.

[@Gewoon-Dennis]

Pun not intended

[@Graphichorizon]

Or kip thorne and movie interstellar.

[@thelearner873]

"I can be *relatively* confident." Man, I like your puns.

[@Deatheragenator]

Don't for get 0:27 "misses the gravity of the situation."

[@thelearner873]

@@Deatheragenator Yeah, people already noticed that, this was one they didn't seem to notice.

[@pd1jdw630]

Yeah he said that and then totally nailed it.

[@lioneye0074]

Just when i read it he said it.

[@KroniklyStoned]

The GRAVITY of the situation 😂😂😂

[@Joe-ec6sx]

Been looking for this illuminating explanation all these years and now found it! Thanks a lot!

[@PaulThatcher-iu5in]

Retrospective, true, but I was not at all disappointed when I saw the first image of a black hole - I danced and cried. That image was one of the knowledge/thought highpoints of my life - In 1981, I did a presentation to my A-level Physics classmates on black holes, at a time when they were still considered a bit sci-fi, and then here was an image almost no-one thought we could or would see, Yet we actually saw it! What a triumph of theory and practice! Really, this is what we are here for - to look out, to wonder, to discover. Veritasium always manages the theory, practice, and wonder in just the right measure.

[@christian_swjy]

Just saw the image, and it is similar to the image shown by Derek. Awesome work!

[@pcislocked]

agreed

[@_Killkor]

I can even see the Dopper beaming on its picture (lower side is visibly brighter). Amazing indeed :D

[@grunchidetrap476]

@dankest-TV He was very accurate with saying it would look like a coffee stain coffee stain

[@navdeepsengh]

We all new it'd be something like that. In fact, Derek's prediction is hi-res which is not possible yet in reality as M-87's centre is 55 Mn LY away!

[@jlbrothers192]

pcislocked boxes of my phone Hey I’m going home I 👁😩😩😏😉😀bonza mornin Hey hey 👋 😆😎✌️😔😊❤️Box’s is

[@quahntasy]

MIND= BLOWN Glad I watched this video before the release of the image. Hype increased by 90 per cent.

[@cheesywiz9443]

yes!

[@TheTURKISHDELIGHT98]

Same

[@BillAnt]

Looks like this comment section itself is becoming a black hole, the words are getting sucked into KZbin's even horizon, then spat out into the vacuum of space in the form of radiation. tsk-tsk

[@thefinallevel8648]

r/boneappletea

[@FlyntofRWBY]

Percent* not "per cent," lol.

[@SeaBreeze2247]

Thank you for this excellent demonstration of such a complex (at least for me) subject!

[@_shyhawk1655]

This is the best explanation I've ever heard. I couldn't understand any of the black hole pictures I'd ever seen. Even when I searched through science textbooks during my school days, when science teachers explained this to me, and even when I watched KZbin as an adult, I couldn't find such explanations.

[@paulizzs4720]

There is no such a thing like a black hole. This film is outdated..

[@noxx82]

"i think that misses the gravity of the situation" well played

[@MOSMASTERING]

"I can be relatively confident"

[@OrangeC7]

This guy is full of lighthearted puns, isn't he?

[@pikiuia1251]

Bernhard Mäser 300th like

[@madhurmongia6381]

That joke is timeless😉

[@nehal0001]

Man can't believe how accurate interstellar was in this respect!

[@ProfTydrim]

I heard the director worked closely together with a physicist in creating the script. And rendering the image of the black hole was the priciest part of the movie

[@nehal0001]

Yes this was given since they worked with Kip Thorne. Fascinating stuff!

[@jsmith5052]

@@ProfTydrim Kip Thorn, a physicist at Cal Tech and who co-wrote the highly respected text Gravitation was the consultant. Won the 2017 nobel prize in physics as well. Probably couldn't have picked a better guy for the job.

[@flybeep1661]

Nehal Chaturvedi kinda a given when they worked with Kip Thorne, the physicist who detailed the fact how it would look.

[@ProfTydrim]

@@jsmith5052 awesome. No wonder the movie was so scientifically accurate

[@antoniolopez696]

Finally I was able to understand the picture. Very simple explanation. Excellent

[@resress3489]

вернее сказать теория!!! а не факт!

[@SuperBobby1967]

By far the best explanation of a BH I ever saw. Thank you for teaching me something new. BH are amazing entities.

[@juanmoralesvideo]

Mind blowing. Both, the black hole stuff, and your capacity to explain very complex things in a way everybody (even me, ha ha) can truly understand.

[@andrebartels1690]

Me, too.

[@MapleJokerRofl]

Wow much brain. Intelligent very. /r/imverysmart

[@Pomaufour]

Exactly. Impressive explanation for the masses ! Can t wait for tomorrow now

[@ZFanz]

Wow, you're very smart, goodluck man wowww so smaartt

[@penacs]

0:26 "I think that misses the gravity of the situation" I see what you did there my fellow cOmEdIaN

[@SwitosVideo]

I had to stop the video and look at the comments after the fact. I was too stunned...

[@yash5879]

@@SwitosVideo you and I have gotta be twins

[@jadexige]

Ba-doom chiii...

[@auscaliber1]

his cheeky lil smirk straight after. What a guy.

[@technowey]

penaCS - I'm surprised his pun lead to mass hysteria. ;)

[@YaSoFine]

Awaesome man. I love that explanation. Thank you for taking the time to create all that set up to explain. Super!

[@eronavbj]

Easily the best (read: most lucid) description of a black hole I’ve ever seen.

[@syedmazharhasan6803]

At 7:16, my mouth just dropped to the floor. I can see and understand Gargantua from Intersteller. Thank you so so much. You are a hero.

[@arafat9828]

Exact same thought 😂

[@adil_ahnaf.08]

My jaw dropped and broke through my floor and went to australia

[@anthonysantos1142]

fun fact while making the black hole the systems they were using struggled to show the black hole

[@YZFMANIAC08]

Lmao check Ton618

[@varman7082]

@@adil_ahnaf.08 😂

[@drane10]

"Misses the gravity of the situation" Pun 100

[@joshrutherford1480]

why has it takin me aso long to see this. incredible description brother thank you fpr this!

[@SuperParatech]

This video came up oddly in my algorithm. Not sure why. Very well explained for non scientists and delivered in an interesting and easy to follow way. It opens up the wonders of the universe and all that remains undiscovered. Thank you for posting.

[@pikiwiki]

This is a black hole. This is something never seen before by human eyes. This is a day for the record books. This is insane.

[@canalsocialismocristao4605]

is this a radio telescope or a image made of phtons like regular telescopes? because if it radio telescope what we saw were radio signals in one spot and absence of radio signals in other, not a real "photo" of a black hole

[@grodt88]

This is.... SPARTA!!!

[@Legoman123417]

@@canalsocialismocristao4605 You seem to misunderstand the concept of electromagnetic waves. We are only able to see Photons / light waves from 400 to 800 nm wavelenght. Anything below or above is still light but we can not see it with our eyes. So even if the image is from a radio telescope it is still light and it's photons that are captured in the image. The only difference between light we can see and light we can not see (such as Infra-Red or UV light) is the frequency and therefore the wavelenght of the emitted photons.

[@spicytaco5975]

Hotel? Trivago

[@thehonkening1]

The only insane thing is how gullible people are to believe the picture is what they say it is

[@bonjonz]

I am a 72 year old woman and my son shared your video with me. Even for me, you made this amazing milestone clear and awesome. Thank you so much and I will keep watching your videos to see what else I can learn from you.

[@fig4159]

bonjonz I found your comment extremely disheartening. By including your age, you give credence to the myth that we get less intelligent as we age. All one must do to maintain brain health and one's intellect is USE IT.

[@deepakvasudevan1]

@@fig4159 let the lady speak, she's just telling what she's feeling. Nobody has the right to judge, right?

[@kiyoponnn]

@@deepakvasudevan1 She was also giving her own opinion lol

[@kiyoponnn]

@@fig4159 Lol it's a fact- not a myth you idiot

[@GAMEOVER-yy6zj]

Much respect mam

[@kyleroesler9028]

I dont usually comment on videos, but I was trying to understand this concept forever, and I didn't get it until now lol. Thank you for your detailed descriptions and teachings! 🤙

[@djaspurh]

Best explanation I’ve heard to date! Thanks!

[@niwayanprimastuti579]

Damn, my guy reviews the black hole photo BEFORE the photo was out. Respecc

[@sonofblessed]

That's quantum physics for you.

[@AbhayChandraYouTube]

That's Dirk from Veristablium for you.

[@debayandas1128]

Faster than the speed of light. Travelling back in time.

[@nuanceblacksywin4868]

"miss the gravity of the situation." Kudos to you, Mr.Veritasium.

[@DboiTheSavage]

Nuance Blacksywin I thought I was the only one who caught that

[@gnuMan]

Not even a minute in and he makes a pun.

[@Pt_Sd]

"I can be relatively confident" that that wasn't even the first pun in the video!

[@tomashoryna2959]

Thank you a lot. This video is absolutely the most understandable. You have found the most effective way how to explain all that phenomena of the black hole. Thank you once more.

[@jdrs4214]

Dude, that is some crazy jazz there!!!! I think there’s waaaay much more to Black Holes than just an object in space that can warp beams of light toward it, or distort it somehow. Oh, thank you for the paper, cardboard, and ball explanation of black holes. That’s how I learn things.

[@sunaxes]

“When did you become expert at explaining black holes?” Veritasium: “Last week.” :o

[@bbq1423]

*Vsauce joined the chat* Michael: But what is last week? **Vsauce theme**

[@milansajan1001]

What is Las† Week..!? ≈ i†s 2.5b lY ago 4M a bla¢k🕳️

[@aqimjulayhi8798]

@@bbq1423 *RealLifeLore joined the chat* This many Toyota Corollas have been sold last week alone

[@abdur1996]

Popsci.jpeg

[@taharauf7775]

@@bbq1423 I wonder when will he ever join the KZbin chat again And don't mention dong ik about that

[@TripCouple]

Watched this video yesterday (Apr 9) .. came back again today (April 10) just to say.. "You nailed it" 🔥🔥🔥

[@Asher89leo]

Einstein nailed it.

[@DrFujitsu]

Einstein Nailed This Perfectly!!

[@Gregory-ud6zq]

What? You are 10 days late you moron, also it’s pretty much exactly what he drew so ya you are a complete idiot

[@teonesterov9141]

How is it possible? How does he explain such complicated stuff in such easy words?

[@IKGunaratna]

Thank you! The best explanation with demonstrations I've seen. Amazing!

[@OatPancake]

I can’t believe how similar your drawing is to the actual picture...your drawing even has the blur effect

[@ytrds7244]

Well it wouldn’t be clear it’s 54 million light years away lol

[@ytrds7244]

And every black whole we’ve imagined is what he drew we already knew

[@geometryjosh21]

Give computers like 20 years and we will have a more clear image of the black hole. It's the same way with Pluto.

[@Beastinvader]

@@geometryjosh21 Yes and no. We will improve our telescopes, but only got a clear image of Pluto because we visited it

[@wacpj1929]

I really appreciated how he confidently explained that there would be a bright area in the photograph, and he was exactly right

[@malignor9035]

This video is a testament to your talents & experience as a science communicator. Brilliantly explained, Derek

[@agostinopique7825]

This video is amazing! Such complicated arguments explained in such a simple way 🔥🔥

[@paulizzs4720]

It is bulshit. There is no black hole picture. It is still theory

[@spacebeast7958]

This was a damn good explanation. I never understood why black holes look the way they do. Phenomenal job.

[@duchi882]

*My recommendations* Are now bombarded with Black Hole videos

[@beornenmannr3218]

KZbin is not for porn, pervert algorithm!

[@MohammedFcB]

Beornen Mannr WTF SAME

[@izanreltih7218]

Black hole > black people

[@christopherbouchard9921]

Duchi so are mine!

[@abdelhak50]

Which means you use KZbin correctly 😉

[@dmdbrv]

"...if you have any questions..." - no sir, it all makes sense

[@peterobinson3678]

Are you sure you REALLY understood it?

[@vgtboy]

Pretty much everyone after watching Interstellar lol

[@feha92]

@@peterobinson3678 Yeah. I mean, it was pretty simple wasnt it? To paraphrase: Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing goes out. Except when it doesn't. Because not even speedy thing (light) can come out a black hole. Or in laymans terms: Space bends, parallel lines intersect.

[@lucianafernandes6308]

​@@feha92 I can hear Sam O'nella saying in this exact same way to explain this entire 10 min long vídeo! LOL

[@vivek_1213]

Einstein was really way ahead of his generation, like almost a century ahead. Legendary Scientist.

[@Local_NPC403]

English not being my fluent language, i can still understand everything that he says more than my own professor explaining other stuff. Really cool! +1 sub.

[@kzanbusiness]

Hats off to the astrophysicists who study this stuff. As an engineer, this is mind-boggling!

[@DeadlyNerotoxins]

@pyropulse Both physicists and engineers were required to accomplish this

[@chillinoutmaxin4630]

Hats off to all beings as we make everything possible with our conciousness. Have a good day.

[@TheChadPad]

@@BenExcell Hats off to hats...

[@Ryan08EA]

Hats off for people with hats on

[@wolfyonlyeatsbanana2498]

True🐺

[@nicejungle]

That's the most epic explanation about black hole picture I've ever seen : AWESOME !

[@wolfyonlyeatsbanana2498]

I agree

[@zigmeisterful]

Yep, I've watched a lot of videos and read more than most couch astronomers on black holes, and this is by far some of the best explanations of how to visualize them that I've ever seen.

[@wolfyonlyeatsbanana2498]

@@zigmeisterful it true🐺

[@justiceforsethrichwwg1wga160]

#DarkToLight #GodWins

[@wolfyonlyeatsbanana2498]

@@justiceforsethrichwwg1wga160 ?🐺

[@sanjaymotivaras5010]

Wow! Vary beautifully and easily explained. It was really a very informative video. Thanks for explaining so well. Will be waiting for such informative videos in future too. ❤

[@Osaz.VirtuosoL.OAcedAgain.4]

I am impressed with how you explained the black hole👏👏, It has never been explained to me like this before

[@stefanomorandi7150]

MIND BLOWN! so happy that i watched this video BEFORE watching the actual image, now the hype is 10x!

[@adityaphatak8590]

Damn true

[@onemoreriff7644]

Yeah this guy explained it very well in simplicity.

[@nagualdesign]

Is 'hype' cool now, like when 'bad' started meaning 'good'? If so, what word do we use to describe disproportionate ramping of people's expectations? Whatever we see it will be fascinating. If there's no accretion disc we might still have some interesting starlight effects to tease apart. No hype necessary.

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

@@nagualdesign Whatever it is, it's gonna be sick. (I hope it gets better soon.)

[@nagualdesign]

@Random Cat Tru dat, bro. _Reco'nize!_ 😎

[@azimhamidun]

its amazing to see how science theory predicts on the yet discovered things in our universe and yet some people still think the world is flat

[@deept3215]

Flat earther: "I didn't understand a thing of what you said and anyway I don't care. Here is why Earth is flat instead..."

[@davel7037]

Those are Tesla Fanboys who hate theorists

[@griffisme4833]

@ Who the absolute hell is talking about Trump? Why are you so obsessed with him?

[@rayk9598]

@@cubiusblockus3973 wow, i didn't know it's officially classified as a syndrome

[@bijoythewimp2854]

And denying evolution and vaccines

[@bethtour99]

It's really beautiful... It is amazing how something so rational can be also emotional at the dame time. Excelent explanation, very clear.

[@sandynoby]

Thankyou for explaining this as I really used to get headache looking at black hole image but this now helps in understanding in step by step mode 👍👍👍

[@jomicabrera8905]

I am sad that Stephen Hawking did not live to see our first image of a black hole. Superb video and RIP Mr.Hawking

[@Touseefraja123]

Jomi Cabrera well he is init let alone seeing it !!

[@augustsinyukov8497]

He is gonna see it in the afterlife :) that is of course if there is one. But we can't dismiss that idea.

[@Touseefraja123]

August sinyukov afterlife?? Let me refraise that for you it’s the next process of life !!!

[@aakarshan01]

@@Touseefraja123 rephrase*

[@MrPDTaylor]

The inventor of black holes didn't get to see his creation in action. :( It really is a shame.

[@pesterenan]

This explanation really made me understand the visuals on interstellar, that was awesome!

[@joeyhomiller7945]

Kip Thorne, who basically founded LIGO and is an expert in this kind of physics actually collaborated very closely with Nolan and the team making Interstellar to make it as scientifically accurate as possible. If you wanna know more about the movie and the physics behind it, he wrote a really great book called "The Science of Interstellar" super captivating read and really gives a whole new dimension to the movie (no pun intended)

[@vikranttyagiRN]

@@joeyhomiller7945 Kip Thorne is an Absolute Legend.

[@elevown]

YUP- and you know if/when we get this image on the news, they are gonna do a piss poor job of explaining it.

[@atilondon]

@@joeyhomiller7945 l got that book of Kip Thorne for a while.It is awesome but still couldnt finish it yet.It is so dense on information that l need to re-read some pages,sometimes only couple of lines and then thinking and trying to comprehend what did l read.Before l start to read some chapters,l have to be sure that l can be on full focus,because it needs 100% of my brain.it is immensely interesting book.

[@GotKundalini]

Awesome. First time I’ve heard how the photons move around the black hole and event horizon. The infinitely mapped horizon along the edge of the horizon is wild

[@dr.anupam_borade]

Wow Derek, great video . Superb model you've made to explain in easy way .

[@lutfiprayogi2]

He really makes a complicated thing easy to understand. And I still don’t get what he explains.

[@ManojKumar-cj7oj]

I too

[@aj2090]

Yeah... me four!

[@ManojKumar-cj7oj]

@@aj2090 😅

[@MediHusky]

It's a black hole. He's explaining accretion disks and gravitational lensing. There's accretion disks in Mass Effect 2, pretty neat game, pretty neat stellar phenomena.

[@ManojKumar-cj7oj]

@@MediHusky what are you studying now,🤔😊

[@12Ajay1251]

I can only imagine the joy and satisfaction these scientists get when all of their theories and calculations were confirmed. It's crazy just how much we can learn and understand about our universe with just a bit of observations and equations. Newton had to create an entirely new kind of math just to be able to explain his theories, at the age of freakin' 23!

[@A.Steptoe]

Said every scientist since the dawn of time

[@AmidaNyorai48]

😯😯

[@Owen_loves_Butters]

Scientists actually like being wrong. Because being wrong is the opportunity to learn new things, maybe even deep truths about the universe.

[@lancimusprime9488]

Despite all the computer-generated imagery of blackholes, your physical model gave me a far greater understanding of how to visualize these anomalies than anything I have seen so far. Excellent Video

[@chummel123]

Bro. Your so amazing at explaining and teaching. This is a weird question I always had! Like what are we looking at and why? And you sir answered it for me. Thanks!!🤙🏼

[@Khether0001]

This is by far the best explanation I have ever seen about a black hole! Unbelievable, any sort of congratulations definitely fall short of a proper compliment! Thank you so much for your effort, it is far above and beyond!

[@iankclark]

I wholeheartedly agree, sir. Blew me away. You deserve more recommends.

[@johnhuey]

This is so much better than even really goog explanations. Kudos.

[@trunkbangking]

Or he just sold you a basic pen and made you believe it was more than just that.

[@seanld444]

Completely agree. Best video.

[@whitealliance9540]

This also correlates with the dark youtuber named "share his vision". He has recorded himself using his powers on people in nee york city and he says he wants to prove something to both the scientific and spiritual world. Go see his channel and new vid. He uses and proves you can use spirits to win lotto money its really interesting.

[@mukundbhanot7144]

what if we look inside the black hole... *and Matthew McConaughey looks back at us* "Alright, alright, alright..."

[@johnterencejr]

Mukund Bhanot don’t you see, he’s been trying to tell us for years! “I get older, they stay the same age.” “Time is a flat circle.”

[@TheReaverOfDarkness]

@Joe Chang I'm unaware of these scientists and textbooks which say the speed of gravity is light speed. In fact I don't believe the majority of people think that it is.

[@haulin]

@Joe Chang How do you explain gravitational waves then? Gravity propagates at the maximum speed of causality, a.k.a. the speed of light.

[@mukundbhanot7144]

@Joe Chang not sure how your reply is relevant to my comment, but i shall humour you nonetheless. If gravity was an absolute figure, like temperature, or mass, the laws of physics(as we know it) would still apply no matter what. But gravity is a form of energy. I believe what you are referring to as 'instantaneous' would be acceleration and not velocity. Since the speed of light is taken as a constant, it is assumed that the photon packets possess energy that propagates through space-time just like any other form of matter or energy. It is generally considered that nothing is faster than the speed of light, thus gravitational energy is also travelling in space-time at that velocity. So when you say gravity is instantaneous, it pretty much means that gravity is travelling through time (more like not considering 'time' as a vector) - which, obviously, is incorrect.

[@GIBunz]

@Joe Chang Easier to say light has no mass then? Gravity is the laws of attraction, so you won't fall at the same rate just like how on the moon you won't land as quickly.

[@davidmcneil2296]

8:07 very fascinating description. 😮

[@dudemib7870]

This is the most comprehensive illustration about black holes I've ever had 👌👌👌

[@Kingbird66]

Great explanation thanks for clearing that up I didn't understand anything but thanks

[@joey398]

😂

[@muhammadfajrulr.4761]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@sugarberries1972]

I was thinking pretty much the same. lol

[@alaeis]

same honestly but bless him :P

[@makeupfreak81]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡

[@dongurudebro4579]

You know, it really makes me sad that Stephen Hawking and many other great scientist didn't get to see this.

[@clubsport9334]

I believe they could have visualised it clearly in their their very bright minds....

[@pratibhabansod6024]

Carl sagan too. RIP

[@dongurudebro4579]

@@clubsport9334 Sure, but its a completely differnet thing than seeing something with their own eyes! :)

[@m0dexHD]

I think Stephen Hawking is doing well and doesnt care as much as u do cause he is already in another universe

[@jennibaxter9588]

Awe! Reading that mad me feel sad about it, too. 🙍

[@pabloc168]

This is amazing! Thanks so much for putting this so simple

[@friendo760]

Fantastic presentation. Thank you!