Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the heart of our galaxy

Re:Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the h... by queuebert on Thursday May 12, 2022 @02:05PM (#31357828)

>"Since the interferometric measurements are often incomplete in the Fourier domain, the inverse problem of reconstructing an image from the observed data set is usually underdetermined. Consequently, the image reconstruction requires prior information, assumptions, or constraints to derive a reasonable image from the infinite number of possibilities that can explain the measurements."

If the original commenter has an issue with this, wait 'til they find out about modern CT scans. Or hell even JPEGs.

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Re:Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the h... by heyitsguay on Thursday May 12, 2022 @05:55PM (#31360604)

It's the usual HN physics thread stuff - for some reason physics really brings out the confidently incorrect crowd.

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Re:Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the h... by oldgradstudent on Friday May 13, 2022 @06:07AM (#31365373)

Funny that you mention CT scans.

To quote from a paper[1] on the history of CT scanning:

"Initial images were of inert objects, then specimens from an abattoir, including bullocks brains and pigs bodies"

"The prototype was installed at Atkinson Morley’s Hospital in South London where the first patient, a middle aged lady with a suspected frontal lobe tumour, was scanned on 1st October 1971. The surgeon who operated on her shortly afterwards reported that ‘‘it looks exactly like the picture’’"

The default scientific approach to a new imaging algorithm, and especially a new implementation, it to try it on a simple well understood examples first.

[1] Beckmann, E. C. (2006). CT scanning the early days. https://www.birpublications.org/doi/10.1259/bjr/29444122

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