Dr. Heino Falcke: Wondering What Lies Beyond

You are most well known for the Event Horizon Telescope that finally captured the first image of a black hole. What was that experience like?

It was an amazing 25-year journey: From the first idea, to the build-up of a global collaboration, to seeing the first image of a black hole and then presenting it to the world. This was a roller coaster ride of emotions, hope, disappointment, drama, discovery, anxiety, success and exhaustion. It was the experience of a lifetime, where the seed of a small idea grew to something big, creating an iconic picture that is now living a life of its own.

Can you tell me about your faith journey?

I grew up in a traditional Christian environment, where we would go to Church occasionally and participate in some activities, but it didn’t really dominate my life. My grandparents were very faithful people, who would pray extensively and host a Bible study group at their home. God was present for me, but somewhat distant until one day, where God became very personal for me. I loved reading the Bible, asking questions, discussing it, and later even was ordained as a lay minister in our church.

What made you interested in becoming a scientist and how did you select physics?

I was a nerd, really, spending day and night with the first generation of home computers and secretly mixing gunpowder trying to build rockets. The latter was a stupid idea, but thankfully I kept all my fingers! Initially I wanted to go into particle and quantum physics, where all these famous physicists had worked, addressing fundamental questions. But then I realized that astronomy was booming and a new era of discovery was looming. Literally an entire universe was still to be discovered and the answer to some of the pressing questions of modern physics might lie there in outer space.

Were you ever exposed to the “conflict narrative” that science and Christianity cannot be compatible? 

I personally never had that issue. In fact, it always felt like a constructed conflict to me. If God is the creator of the universe, then science just means understanding God’s creation better. It is as simple as that. If God made that universe there is nothing that can disprove God. Sometimes you just need a little bit of patience to figure out what it all means. On the other hand, it always struck me as bizarre, if not arrogant, that some people think that just because they have read the Bible in excruciating detail, they know exactly how that universe works. Would you be able to build an airplane, after a few years of Bible study? The universe is much more complicated than that and teaches us, above all, humility.