Astrophysicist Available to Discuss First Image of Black Hole

April 10, 2019

Tom Maccarone has been studying black holes for nearly two decades.

Today (April 10), astronomers released the first image of a black hole, with one researcher commenting, "We've now seen the unseeable."

A Texas Tech University professor who specializes in black holes can discuss why this matters.

Tom Maccarone is a Presidential Research Excellence Professor in the Texas Tech Department of Physics & Astronomy. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology and his master's degree and doctorate in astronomy from Yale University. His research interests include population studies of X-ray binaries and globular cluster black holes, understanding accretion in black hole and neutron star X-ray binary systems, and stellar mass and supermassive black holes. Maccarone led the discovery of the first globular cluster black hole X-ray binary; the discovery of an isolated young stellar object, CX330; and the discovery of new sources of supersoft X-ray emission.

Maccarone did not participate in the work that led to today's announcement, but as an expert in astrophysics, specifically black holes, he is available to discuss the findings and how they fit within the bounds of previous black hole knowledge and theories.

Expert

Tom Maccarone, Presidential Research Excellence Professor, (806) 742-3778 or thomas.maccarone@ttu.edu

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