Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top research institution, is hoping to catch the eye of Taipei book fair goers this year with its exhibit showcasing multiple astronomy projects in collaboration with global experts.
At its booth dubbed “Academia Emporium,” visitors can learn about one of Academia Sinica’s many research feats — how it photographed the first images of black holes — the institution said in a statement.
The images on display are black holes M87 at the center of the Virgo A galaxy and SgrA* at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, which were captured through the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project, according to Academia Sinica.
The EHT project, established in 2017, is a global network of radio telescopes, including the Greenland Telescope, the ALMA telescope in Chile, and the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMA) in Hawaii, which function together as one large telescope.
As one of the project’s 13 members, Academia Sinica assisted in the operation of the project’s telescopes, as well as in image processing and the development of computer simulations.
Another part of the exhibit features nearly 3,500 books chronicling the fruits of the academic research of the institution, which is also teaming up with about 30 experts to offer 14 talks at the book fair to promote popular science, it said.
The Taipei International Book Exhibition, which is being held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 5 at the Taipei World Trade Center, will also hold special forums highlighting topics such as Taiwanese history, modern urban cultures, and the philosophy of late sinologist Yu Ying-shih (余英時).
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel