Supermassive Black Holes in Color and the World's Oldest Printed Book

Discover Daily by Perplexity

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In this episode of "Discover Daily" by Perplexity, we explore a big advancement in black hole imaging and delve into the history of the world's oldest dated printed book.
The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration has achieved a remarkable feat by introducing "color vision" to their observations of supermassive black holes. By incorporating a new radio frequency of 345 GHz alongside the existing 230 GHz, scientists can now produce sharper, more detailed images, offering unprecedented clarity in visualizing these cosmic giants. This dual-frequency approach is expected to increase image detail by an impressive 50%, allowing researchers to better differentiate between the effects of Einstein's gravity and other phenomena near black holes.
We then journey back in time to explore the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist text printed in 868 CE that holds the distinction of being the world's oldest known dated printed book. Discovered in 1900 in China's Mogao Caves, this 16-foot-long scroll predates the Gutenberg Bible by nearly six centuries. Created using woodblock printing, the Diamond Sutra represents a pivotal moment in the history of information dissemination, showcasing the advanced state of printing technology in 9th century China. Its colophon, which precisely dates its production, provides crucial evidence for understanding the timeline of printing technology development.
From Perplexity's Discover Feed:
https://www.perplexity.ai/page/telescope-shows-black-holes-in-Rw6Pn5JnQnOznJxuapBCLw
https://www.perplexity.ai/page/the-world-s-oldest-printed-boo-rIR81on4RhKLPnFLoG1YTw
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