Zoom Classroom

First results black hole image on April 11, 2019; bright yellow light source with red orange glow around, on black background

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Bringing Black Hole Science

to Classrooms Around the Globe

The Black Hole PIRE project, in partnership with Zoom.us, offers live courses taught by scientists and members of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), the global collaboration behind the first-ever black hole image. Using Zoom.us technology, these courses are provided free of charge to classrooms (grades 8-12) around the country and across the globe.

Developed to address Next Generation Science Standards, the course material introduces the EHT, explains the motivation for taking an image of a black hole, highlights the technological and algorithmic advances required to obtain the image, along with other concepts central to physics and astronomy.

A corresponding, 5-day lesson plan has been developed to enhance the Zoom class.  The lesson plan includes content, links, and activities that focus on teaching Kepler’s laws, developing intuition for gravitation and planetary orbits, and data analysis.  Additionally, the lesson plan provides an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned and use real astronomical data to measure the mass of the black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Recent Zoom classroom events can be viewed below or on our Black Hole PIRE YouTube Channel.

Download the full teaching module, “From Newton to Black Holes.”

The teaching module and live course are offered as a public service in order to develop a unique opportunity for students to engage and experience new and extraordinary science. The Black Hole PIRE project is funded by the National Science Foundation (Award #1743747).

Watch Past Zoom Classrooms Below