Physicists who unravelled mysteries of black holes win Nobel prize

Physicists who unravelled mysteries of black holes win Nobel prize

Mathematical physicist Roger Penrose shared the Nobel prize in physics with astronomers Andrea Ghez and Reinhard Genzel, who discovered a giant black hole in the centre of the Galaxy.

• Ghez “is one of a rare adventurous class” of astronomers, said Genzel in a 2013 profile in Nature. Ghez is an enthusiastic early adopter of new astronomical tools who shares an infectious enthusiasm for the pleasures of physics. “I like the risk of a new technology,” said Ghez. “Any time you look, you're astounded!” (Nature | 11 min read, from 2013)
• Penrose’s 1972 plain-language overview of black holes — when they were still very much a novelty — is still well worth reading. (Nature | 8 min read) And, despite some shaky camera work, Penrose’s 2018 Christmas lecture in London is just the thing to get you caught up with his work — and his delightful diagrams using lots of multicolored pens. (University of Westminster | 35 min video)