Black Hole Vision 2.1

The application offers a captivating exploration of the cosmos by allowing users to visualize the effects of a black hole through their iPhone’s camera. By incorporating a black hole into the field of view, it simulates the gravitational lensing effect that distorts light from surrounding celestial bodies. This innovative feature, termed "Black Hole Vision," highlights significant aspects of black hole lensing, including the formation of a "photon ring," showcasing images that are strongly lensed around the black hole.

The photon ring measurement serves as a focal point for future astronomical research, particularly with the anticipated launch of the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) satellite, which aims to capture unprecedented images in the field of astronomy. For those interested in learning more about BHEX, additional information can be found at Black Hole Explorer.

For developers and researchers, the application’s code is open source and accessible via GitHub at Black Hole Vision GitHub Repository. The documentation details the underlying equations of black hole lensing and their application within the software.

This project was developed at Vanderbilt University by Trevor Gravely with contributions from Dr. Roman Berens and Prof. Alex Lupsasca, as well as insights from Dominic Chang. Funding was provided by CAREER award PHY-2340457 and grant AST-2307888 from the National Science Foundation.

The application features a lensed image of the spiral galaxy Messier 101, created using resources from NASA and STScI, which can be accessed here: Messier 101 Image.

In terms of licensing, this app includes a port of the GNU Scientific Library's (GSL) implementation related to Jacobi elliptic functions and elliptic integrals to Metal. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0), with full licensing details and source code available at: GitHub Source Code.