From Sidedoor — Cosmic Journey I: "Stellar Buffoonery"
Sep 19, 2024
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Dive into the fascinating world of black holes and their significance in understanding the cosmos. Explore the intense rivalry between Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Arthur Eddington, as Chandrasekhar defies skepticism to present groundbreaking theories. Discover the emotional landscape of astrophysics, navigating ambition, recognition, and betrayal. Journey through time to reveal how the Chandra X-ray Observatory plays a pivotal role in decoding the mysteries of these cosmic phenomena.
Black holes are critical for understanding galaxy formation, revealing fundamental cosmic rules that shape our universe's structure.
The historical rivalry between Eddington and Chandrasekhar highlights the challenges faced by minority scientists in gaining recognition within astrophysics.
Deep dives
The Significance of Black Holes
Black holes play a crucial role in our understanding of the universe, as they are essential for galaxy formation and evolution. They help scientists uncover fundamental cosmic rules, shedding light on how galaxies, including our own Milky Way, came to be. Despite the misconceptions surrounding them, such as being portals to other dimensions, black holes are important for understanding the universe's structure. The groundbreaking 2019 image of the supermassive black hole in M87 represents a milestone in astrophysics, transforming an invisible concept into a tangible reality that contradicts previous beliefs about their existence.
The Feud Between Eddington and Chandrasekhar
In the 1930s, the confrontation between physicists Sir Arthur Eddington and Subramanyan Chandrasekhar highlighted the fierce rivalry in astrophysics. Eddington, who had established a respected status in the field, publicly ridiculed Chandrasekhar's theories about the ultimate fate of massive stars and the existence of black holes. This conflict not only affected Chandrasekhar's career but also symbolized the struggles faced by minority scientists in a predominantly white and male-dominated field. The societal and professional pressures ultimately led to a significant shift in how black holes were perceived, with Eddington's influence casting a long shadow over Chandrasekhar's early work.
Chandrasekhar's Legacy and Recognition
Subramanyan Chandrasekhar's persistence despite adversity eventually led to profound recognition of his theories on black holes. Although dismissed by contemporaries like Eddington, the validity of his ideas was confirmed decades later with the discovery of Cygnus X-1, a strong candidate for the first discovered black hole. Chandrasekhar received the Nobel Prize in 1983, validating his groundbreaking work while illustrating the long and often tumultuous journey of scientific acceptance. His legacy continues today, with the naming of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which allows astronomers to observe black holes and deepen our understanding of these fascinating cosmic entities.
As a treat to our listeners, we are posting a full episode of Sidedoor, a podcast that explores the treasures in the Smithsonian's vaults. Subscribe to Sidedoor from Smithsonian wherever you listen to podcasts!
Black holes could unlock the mysteries of creation and live at the heart of nearly every galaxy. But these invisible balls of extremely dense matter have never been fully understood, especially when they were only a theory. We travel through a cosmic wormhole back to the 1930s to learn how the first astrophysicist to successfully theorize a black hole, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, was ridiculed and rejected by his scientific community.
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