Background: The Activities
Don't Take a Picture of It
A black hole itself is impossible to photograph because it absorbs all light. Yet researchers can study black holes by observing the light around them. To experience this principle, students were tasked with photographing objects without capturing the object itself directly. Students were incredibly creative: capturing objects in the reflection of their eyes, working with shadows and footprints. This got them thinking about how to hide and reveal an object's properties without directly seeing it.
Filling in the Missing Information
Much research, especially on distant objects in space, has to be done with limited information. For instance, the famous photo of a black hole was partially reconstructed using smart calculations. In this activity, students received an image with a blurred-out section. Their task was to complete the missing part as accurately as possible. This gave them insight into how scientists work with incomplete data and still strive for reliable results.
Investigating the Invisible
Since black holes cannot be directly seen or measured, scientists must find creative ways to study them. Students experienced this by rolling marbles onto jars filled with different amounts of water. By only listening to the pitch of the sound produced by the marble, they tried to determine how much water was in the jar. This taught them how to investigate something without directly observing it.
