At the bottom of this page you can read how you can win Heino Falcke's latest book 'Light in the Darkness'.
When Heino Falcke is looking at the stars on a clear night, he sometimes suffers from imposter syndrome: the feeling that you could be exposed as a fraud at any moment. “That's because I don't know all of the constellations; I only know a few. Then I actually feel a little bit stupid, ha ha!”
Two years ago, Falcke (1966) became world-famous overnight. On 10 April 2019, the German astronomer and Radboud University professor presented the first-ever photograph of a black hole, together with an international team. This achievement has already been compared to the lunar landing and Columbus' discovery of America.
For those unfamiliar with natural science: a black hole is a region in space where the gravity is so strong that nothing can escape it - not even light. Such a hole sucks in anything that comes too close. In March of this year, a research team led by Falcke's Radboud University colleague Monika Moscibrodzka published a second photograph of the black hole, which provided insight into how magnetic fields around black holes behave. Looking back, Falcke claims that that breakthrough moment in 2019 was also a turning point in his own life. “Suddenly the vision that you've always had becomes a reality. And then you think: wow, now it's real. At the same time, it's really just the next step. Then the run-of-the-mill scientific work starts all over again.”
Falcke has been researching black holes for the past twenty-five years. In 2011 he received the Spinoza Prize, which is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands, and in 2016 he was appointed a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. It is precisely in order to better understand “everyday” concepts such as time and space, he says, that we must look for something that has a very extreme impact on that same time and space. “And that's how you arrive at black holes.”
What makes researching black holes so interesting? And how can it help us?
“The nature of space and time is still a great mystery. What is time, and what is space? This is something that you can philosophise about for a long time. But I'm a natural scientist, which means that I like to measure things. The great thing is that we can now do that, even under the most extreme circumstances. Our research has enabled us - for the first time in history - to practice physics at the edge of the event horizon of black holes - which is where our knowledge literally ends.”
According to the current theory, we'll never be able to see what's actually happening inside a black hole. That's where the frontier of science now lies. And we're trying to push these boundaries. But will this be of any use to us? Well, when Einstein published his theory of relativity, it didn't seem to be all that useful either. But if we didn't have that theory, we wouldn't be able to use Google Maps today. And that's because time works differently in space. Here on earth, time is 38 microseconds slower per day than on a satellite in space. This is due to the curvature of space and time. Now, 38 microseconds may not seem like much, but if it's not taken into account, according to Google Maps you'd be ten kilometres off course after just one day of driving.”
Even as a young boy, Falcke was fascinated by the mysteries of the universe. When he started his PhD research in the 1990s, black holes were still a vague concept for scientists. “Some astronomers didn't even believe that they existed. The same was true for exoplanets [planets that orbit a star other than the sun, ed.]; we didn't even know if they were there. Now we even have pictures of a black hole, thousands of exoplanets have been observed and we can precisely measure the expansion of the universe - we can even see that it's accelerated.”
Almost every month, your field of study seems to announce some sort of news. Is space exploration actually gaining momentum?
“I believe that we're living in the golden age of astronomy. Thanks to modern telescopes and techniques, we've made tremendous progress. Today's computers allow us to see and do things that were unimaginable twenty years ago.”
Will the development of knowledge continue indefinitely? Or will there come a day when we know everything?
“No, it will eventually come to an end. If you wanted to be able to accurately predict and measure everything, you'd have to continue measuring for an infinite amount of time. But infinity is not a workable concept and that's a good thing too. Because in a living world in which you can think and do things, infinity is an impossible concept. Finiteness is a prerequisite for creativity, and that's also the case in physics. If we considered everything to be infinitely old and vast, everything would also be infinitely relaxed. Then there would be no more creative processes.”
Could you possibly explain that a bit more?
“Well, the energy that we're using during this interview comes at the expense of the total energy in the universe. Every thought that you have as a human being, every word that you speak, in fact everything single thing that you do, magnifies the chaos in the universe. At the local level, this chaos is reduced, but in comparison to the entire universe, it is increased. This isn't something that continues indefinitely. At some point, on a very large scale of time, all of the energy will be completely redistributed. Then we'll only be left with the same chaos, or a meaningless void.”
Can we be sure that there will be nothing left beyond this void?
“No, in the end we're not able to predict the development of the Milky Way, or even the development of our solar system. As long as your time is finite, you'll always retain a little bit of uncertainty. For instance, take the weather: that's something that remains unpredictable because we can never capture all of the variables. Imagine if we ever had the computing power to do just that, then that computing power would also affect what you want to measure. To put it simply, some things are fundamentally unpredictable.”
What does that mean for us as people?
“It means that we have a certain degree of freedom. In the nineteenth century, the thought of determinism – the idea that everything was already fixed – was dominant. You still hear people say: according to quantum physics, everything is fixed, there's no free will. That really irritates me. I just don't feel that's a tenable idea. Obviously, as human beings, we're subject to natural laws; if I jumped off an apartment building, I'd fall to my death. But beyond this, there are also enough things that we can influence. You're not a slave to your own future. Everything that I say during this interview may affect you as the reader of this article and the decisions that you make in the future. Before you read this interview, you didn't have that information, which means that your actions are not predictable.”
Late last year, Falcke published a book aimed at a wider audience: Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us. Together with Der Spiegel journalist Jörg Römer, he invites the reader to take “a personal journey through the universe”.
For many people, the universe is just too remote, in both the literal and figurative sense. In this book, you link insights from astronomy to the here and now, to our own lives.
“These insights determine our view of the world. What is the future of everything, where does energy come from, and where do we come from? The answers to these age-old questions determine who we are, and also how we think about ourselves.”
And what would you say is the answer to those questions for you at the moment?
“I believe in God, and I think that there's always room for faith - that a part of our creation remains a secret. And thank goodness for that, because secrets inspire you to think and to go on your own journey of discovery. That's the major difference between a rock and a human being: there's no question about what a rock should be doing, but as human beings we have the opportunity to be astonished and to wonder. We are but a small speck of dust on a speck of dust - in which that second speck of dust is the earth. What makes us special is our ability to reflect, to think and to love. Perhaps there are other beings in the universe who also have this capacity. But it's a capacity that we do possess in any case, and I do believe that, in this respect, it's our job to cherish it as well. That's why things like curiosity, art, religion and social interaction are so very important.”
In a previous interview, you said: “If you want to know what the origin of the world is and you look at this universe, then the answer that there is a creator seems to be the most logical assumption to me.” What did you mean by that?
“The universe has a starting point that we cannot explain. The famous physicist Stephen Hawking once said: 'I have explained how everything is born out of nothing.' Sorry, but 'nothing' just doesn”t make sense here. You always need to start with an assumption, with a set of natural laws and preconditions. That assumption is your creation-thing. And for me, that 'thing' is also a someone. That is, something that is more than just a collection of natural laws.”
So, will that creation-thing, which you call God, ultimately provide a scientific explanation? Will it consequently eliminate God, or do you accept the assumption that God actually exists as a creator?
“I'd have to say the latter. There's no possible scientific explanation: no evidence to support it, but also no refutation from God, and that's exactly the point. What I like in the story of Genesis is the notion that man is a mirror image of God. We are the reflection of something. To begin with, these are the laws of nature, because our body works according to those laws. But beyond this, there is also something in us that enables us to think, to wonder and to love. And that's something that a rock can't do. I hope and believe that this also reflects something of the origin of the universe – and therefore reflects something of God himself. It's like this: people have been discussing God for hundreds of years. In this case, the point of contention was never whether God is there, but what his nature is. I think that that's quite a sensible question. Nowadays we pretend that God is no longer a question at all; he just doesn't exist. But this also means that you can no longer question his nature. And that means that you'll miss out on a lot of important and profound insights. The way in which you see the starting point also more or less determines the way in which you see yourself. Are you someone who means something, someone who is loved? Or are you just something that accidentally disappears again? I think that it's important to think about God. It's something that we should do more often, although we should perhaps do it in a more relaxed manner.”
Be that as it may, there are also scientists who have drawn a conclusion on the basis of natural laws that this life is based on pure coincidence.
“That's true, but I do think that that statement is too cynical. I'm full of hope and faith. We mean something as human beings, we have meaning, full stop. And OK, that's a conviction, it's not something that I can prove. But it's a conviction by which I wish to live, and that's the message that I wish to convey. I want to give people this hope, in the understanding that we are meaningful.”
Will research into the universe bring us closer to God?
“Yes and no. Research into the universe entices you to ask certain types of questions: philosophical, scientific and spiritual questions. Anyone who looks up at the stars feels excitement and fascination. In that sense, astronomy is also an emotional and spiritual quest. Obviously, you need to distinguish pure science from that spiritual element. But in the end, the two both end up at the same point. I often compare that with what a doctor does. Doctors sometimes have to hurt their patients in order to make them better. In order to achieve good things, you shouldn’t try to feel their pain. But at the same time, you're actually a very good doctor if you're able to empathise with someone. The art is knowing when to distance yourself and when to allow yourself to get involved. That's exactly how it is for scientists. Sometimes when you examine the facts, you need to be both sceptical and critical. And sometimes you just have to be human, and you just need to wonder and ask yourself what it all means.”
These days, in addition to enjoying the beauty of the universe, Falcke can get quite annoyed when he looks up at the starry night sky. “It”s not uncommon to see Elon Musk's satellites passing over. That might not be a cause for concern right now, but it's only the beginning of what's to come. All those satellites reflect the sun's light, which creates more and more of those twinkling dots in the air. Soon you'll no longer be able to see the stars, no matter where you are on earth. These are the last few years in which we'll be able to enjoy heaven as it is. But no one seems to worry about that.”
But you're worried about it.
“Yes, I am. When I say that sort of thing on Twitter, the entire army of Musk's followers comes down on me like a ton of bricks. But I do think that it's an area that deserves careful consideration. Space is not regulated; anyone can send up a satellite. At this point in time, heaven still belongs to everyone, but in the future, it will only belong to a select number of wealthy people.”
Is the golden age of astronomy set to end soon?
“Well, that's something that you should never try to predict, ha ha - because, before you know it, you'll be barking up the wrong tree. But the telescopes are getting bigger and bigger and, as a research team, we'd ultimately like to take our equipment back into space so that we can take even better photos. So perhaps we'll be pushing the boundaries of science again. Also, because we're collaborating more and more on a global scale, there's still a lot of potential for growth.”
You've already achieved a lot in your career. What would you still like to do?
There's a long silence on the other end of the video connection. Then Falcke says: “I'd still like to know whether and how quantum theory and gravity theory go together. According to Einstein, any information that disappears into a black hole will never come back. But according to quantum theory, that's not possible, because there must be a causal connection between what goes into such a hole and what comes out. That means that either quantum physics or the theory of gravity is wrong. One of the two needs to be revised, but we don't yet know what that will involve. I'm afraid that I'm not the 'Einstein' who's going to make a breakthrough on that front. But I might be able to inspire students, which is why I wrote my book: to get people to contribute to the thinking process, and also to give hope. Our literature often focuses on how evil man is. But every once in a while, I'd like us to ask, 'What makes us valuable?' That's why I encourage everyone to search, to ask and to believe. We still have a lot to discover - and that's something that we're definitely entitled to do.”
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Translation of the article 'Elke gedachte die je hebt, vergroot de chaos in het universum', written by Suzanne Geuze for Radboud Magazine 68, June 2021. Photo by Lionel HESRY on Unsplash