04 January 2010
Giant vortices, black discs surrounded by spectacular light effects; these are the most popular representations of black holes, regions of space where there’s such a strong gravitational field that nothing can escape from it, not even light. However, such representations are inaccurate, even fantastical.
"Journey to the Heart of a Black Hole" is a documentary film produced in 2008. It is directed by Patrice Desenne and produced by "Sciences et Avenir". The film lasts for about 37 minutes.
After briefly illustrating what black holes are and touching upon the historical debate that led scientists to assume they exist, astrophysicist Alain Riazuelo leads us into an incredible virtual journey, where we travel towards the heart of a black hole. The animation is the result of numerical simulations based on the equations of general relativity … An equally pedagogical and aesthetical journey.
The documentary "Journey to the Heart of a Black Hole" is available for free on the following webpage:
http://www.athenaweb.org/programs/video/high/Astronomie,%20Astrophysic,%20Astrophysique,%20Black%20Hole,%20Trou%20Noir-1001090.html
Note: the documentary is in French. To read the transcript in English, please click on the link below:
ATH_SEA_aw-ath_sea_1009_1-journey-to-the-heart-of-a-black-hole-en.pdf
• Reference: ATH_SEA_1009_1