Black hole: Astronomers release the first ever image FREE for the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The incredible black hole in the galaxy Messier 87 was named Powehi in recognition of the contribution made by two Hawaiian telescopes. Astronomers revealed their historic photo to the public on Wednesday, April 10, during six simultaneous press briefings across four continents. The black hole was photographed from a mind-boggling distance of 55 million light-years away from Earth after daisy-chaining together eight of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii played crucial role in the discovery. Professor Larry Kimura, a language expert at the University of Hawaii, offered the name in a bid to honour his Hawaiian heritage. When translated, the name means embellished dark source of unending creation or the adorned fathomless dark creation. Professor Kimora drew inspiration for the terrifying monicker from the Kumulipo – an 18th century Hawaiian chant describing the world’s creation. He said in a statement: “It is awesome that we, as Hawaiians today, are able to connect to an identity from long ago, as chanted in the 2,102 lines of the Kumulipo, and bring forward this precious inheritance for our lives today. READ MORE: EHT astronomer teases ‘not much longer’ for Milky Way black hole photo Black hole Powehi: The black hole was named in recognition of Hawaii's contribution “To have the privilege of giving a Hawaiian name to the very first scientific confirmation of a black hole is very meaningful to me and my Hawaiian lineage that comes from po, and I hope we are able to continue naming future black holes from Hawaii astronomy according to the Kumulipo.” Jessica Dempsey, the deputy director of the JCMT who took part in the black hole discovery, told the Star Advertiser she nearly fell out of her chair when she heard the name. She said: “We described what we had seen and that this black hole was illuminating and brightening the darkness around it, and that’s when he came up with the name. “I had just spent 10 minutes explaining what this object was in science language. And in just this one word, he describes that.” READ MORE: How first ever black hole picture CONFIRMS 100-year-old cosmic theory The astronomer went on to say she was amazed by how “deeply” the Hawaiians were understanding the universe around them. I hope we are able to continue naming future black holes from Hawaii Larry Kimura, University of Hawaii The black hole picture was unveiled to the world after two years of gruelling research, where around 200 scientists from all parts of the globe worked together as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration. The EHT project focused on Powehi in the galaxy Messier 87 323,324,400,000,000,000,000 miles from Earth and the black hole Sagittarius A* at the heart of the Milky Way. Dr Dempsey said: “Maunakea makes this discovery and the spectacular image of Powehi possible. READ MORE: What is the glowing accretion disc around the M87 black hole? Black hole Powehi: The monster black hole sits int he centre of galaxy Messier 87 Black hole Powehi: Astronomers are now looking at Sagittarius A* in the Milky Way±<doc-sep>The word apparently means “the adorned fathomless dark creation” or “embellished dark source of unending creation”. A language professor has given a Hawaiian name — Powehi — to the black hole depicted in an image produced in a landmark experiment. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday that University of Hawaii-Hilo Hawaiian Professor Larry Kimura named the cosmic object. The world’s first image of a black hole revealed on Wednesday was created using data from eight radio telescopes around the world. The newspaper reports the word meaning “the adorned fathomless dark creation” or “embellished dark source of unending creation” comes from the Kumulipo, an 18th Century Hawaiian creation chant. Astronomers say giving it a Hawaiian name was justified because the project included two telescopes in Hawaii. Jessica Dempsey, a co-discoverer of the black hole, says the word is an excellent match for the scientific description she provided to Kimura.<doc-sep>How the first photo of a black hole was captured (CNN) — That black hole you’ve seen everywhere now has a name. It’s been christened Powehi – a Hawaiian phrase referring to an “embellished dark source of unending creation.” The groundbreaking, first-ever photograph of a black hole was published around the world when it was unveiled on Wednesday, captivating viewers and providing the only direct visual evidence that these regions of spacetime exist. The responsibility of finding it a name fell to Larry Kimura, a Hawaiian language professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, who was approached by astronomers involved with the project. Two of the eight telescopes used to capture the photograph are located in Hawaii. Powehi was chosen for its roots in the Kumulipo, an 18th-century Hawaiian chant that describes a creation story. It puts together two terms from the chant: Po, meaning profound dark source of unending creation, and wehi (or wehiwehi) which is one of the several ways that po is described in the chant. “It is awesome that we, as Hawaiians today, are able to connect to an identity from long ago, as chanted in the 2,102 lines of the Kumulipo, and bring forward this precious inheritance for our lives today,” Kimura said in a statement. “To have the privilege of giving a Hawaiian name to the very first scientific confirmation of a black hole is very meaningful to me and my Hawaiian lineage that comes from po,” he added. “I hope we are able to continue naming future black holes from Hawaii astronomy according to the Kumulipo.” Powehi was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope, a project that connected eight telescopes around the world. The supermassive black hole and its shadow, at the center of a galaxy known as M87, were photographed back in April 2017, but the results were only revealed on Wednesday. “We have seen what we thought was unseeable,” said Sheperd Doeleman, director of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, unveiling the historic snap. “We have seen and taken a picture of a black hole.” More than 200 researchers were involved in the project, and they had worked for more than a decade to capture the image. The project is named after the event horizon, the proposed boundary around a black hole that represents the point of no return where no light or radiation can escape. The telescope array collected 5,000 trillion bytes of data over two weeks, which was processed through supercomputers so that the scientists could retrieve the images. “Powehi, as a name, is so perfect, because it provides real truths about the image of a black hole that we see,” Jessica Dempsey of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, said in a video released by the University of Hawaii about the naming.<doc-sep>
HILO, Hawaii — A language professor has given a Hawaiian name — Powehi — to the black hole depicted in an image produced in a landmark experiment. see also Meet Katie Bouman, woman behind first black hole photo This is the MIT computer scientist whose algorithm led to... University of Hawaii-Hilo Hawaiian Professor Larry Kimura named the cosmic object, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday. The world’s first image of a black hole revealed Wednesday was created using data from eight radio telescopes around the world. Powehi means “the adorned fathomless dark creation” or “embellished dark source of unending creation” and comes from the Kumulipo, an 18th century Hawaiian creation chant. Po is a profound dark source of unending creation, while wehi, honored with embellishments, is one of the chant’s descriptions of po, the newspaper reported. “To have the privilege of giving a Hawaiian name to the very first scientific confirmation of a black hole is very meaningful to me and my Hawaiian lineage that comes from po,” Kimura said in a news release. A Hawaiian name was justified because the project included two Hawaii telescopes, astronomers said. “As soon as he said it, I nearly fell off my chair,” said Jessica Dempsey, deputy director of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea. Dempsey was among 200 scientists who worked to capture an image of the massive black hole in the M87 galaxy nearly 54 million light-years from Earth, the newspaper reported. Dempsey said Powehi is an excellent match for the scientific explanation provided to Kimura. “We described what we had seen and that this black hole was illuminating and brightening the darkness around it, and that’s when he came up with the name,” she said.