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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Columnist

Bio

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an associate professor of physics and astronomy, and a core faculty member in women's studies at the University of New Hampshire. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars and particles beyond the standard model.

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More from Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Explore the latest news, articles and features

How does astronomy fit into astrophysics – and does it matter?

Physics

How does astronomy fit into astrophysics – and does it matter?

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GJ9N8T DARK NEBULA

Physics

Why we should talk about invisible matter, not dark matter

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On 22 August 2024, summit staff reinstalled Rubin Observatory's commissioning camera (ComCam) on the telescope. ComCam has previously been on the telescope, but was removed before the installation of the secondary mirror in late July. ComCam ??? a smaller (144 megapixel), simpler version of the full 3200-megapixel LSST Camera ??? is being used for testing activities prior to installing the LSST Camera, anticipated to happen late 2024. In the coming weeks the summit team will install the primary/tertiary mirror, enabling ComCam to produce the first astronomical data from the Simonyi Survey Telescope.

Space

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory gets started next year. I can't wait

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Science can be our trusty shield in a time of deepening crises

Physics

Science can be our trusty shield in a time of deepening crises

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2C6F140 Atoms and their electron clouds , Quantum mechanics and atomic structure

Physics

You can't put a price on the sense of awe particle physics inspires

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Simulation of a black hole

Space

What does it mean to “look” at a black hole?

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Atomic molecule on blackboard; Shutterstock ID 635006972; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Physics

We physicists could learn a lot by stepping beyond our specialisms

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Chandra X-ray Observatory

Space

Why we need to save the Chandra space telescope

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Black Hole event horizon, black hole in space attracting galaxies and asteroids surrounded by gas nebulas 3d rendering; Shutterstock ID 2182637129; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Space

What happens at a black hole's edge? It depends on your perspective

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2CE844B Infinity tunnel pocket watch time, time travel concept

Physics

How physics is helping us to explain why time always moves forwards

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This new visualization of a black hole illustrates how its gravity distorts our view, warping its surroundings as if seen in a carnival mirror. The visualization simulates the appearance of a black hole where infalling matter has collected into a thin, hot structure called an accretion disk. The black hole?s extreme gravity skews light emitted by different regions of the disk, producing the misshapen appearance. Bright knots constantly form and dissipate in the disk as magnetic fields wind and twist through the churning gas. Nearest the black hole, the gas orbits at close to the speed of light, while the outer portions spin a bit more slowly. This difference stretches and shears the bright knots, producing light and dark lanes in the disk. Viewed from the side, the disk looks brighter on the left than it does on the right. Glowing gas on the left side of the disk moves toward us so fast that the effects of Einstein?s relativity give it a boost in brightness; the opposite happens on the right side, where gas moving away us becomes slightly dimmer. This asymmetry disappears when we see the disk exactly face on because, from that perspective, none of the material is moving along our line of sight. Closest to the black hole, the gravitational light-bending becomes so excessive that we can see the underside of the disk as a bright ring of light seemingly outlining the black hole. This so-called ?photon ring? is composed of multiple rings, which grow progressively fainter and thinner, from light that has circled the black hole two, three, or even more times before escaping to reach our eyes. Because the black hole modeled in this visualization is spherical and non-rotating, the photon ring looks nearly circular and identical from any viewing angle. Inside the photon ring is the black hole?s shadow, an area roughly twice the size of the event horizon ? its point of no return. This visualization is ?mass invariant,? which means it can represent a black hole of any mass. The size of the black hole's shadow is proportional to its mass, but so is the size of the accreetion disk, so its properties scale accordingly. Simulations and movies like these really help us visualize what Einstein meant when he said that gravity warps the fabric of space and time.

Physics

How the weird and powerful pull of black holes made me a physicist

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View Los Angeles financial district skyline at night

Environment

The shift to LED lighting is stopping us from seeing our night skies

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