Physicists from Vanderbilt University have released a groundbreaking iOS application that lets users visualize gravitational lensing effects of black holes through their iPhone cameras. The app, developed by a team led by Prof. Alex Lupsasca, offers a unique blend of educational value and cutting-edge physics simulation.
Real-Time Black Hole Physics
The application implements complex gravitational lensing equations derived from general relativity to create physically accurate visualizations. Users can experience both static (Schwarzschild) and rotating (Kerr) black holes, with the ability to adjust the spin parameters of rotating black holes. The app processes video feeds from both front and rear cameras in real-time, demonstrating the impressive computational capabilities of modern iPhone GPUs.
App Specifications:
- Size: 67.1 MB
- Platform: iPhone
- iOS Requirement: Initially listed as 17.5+ (being adjusted to support earlier versions)
- Category: Education
- Price: Free
- Privacy: No data collection
- Features:
- Static black hole simulation (Schwarzschild)
- Rotating black hole simulation (Kerr)
- Adjustable spin parameters
- Real-time camera feed processing
- Multiple viewing modes (Realistic FOV/Full FOV)
Technical Implementation and Open Source Approach
The development team took a sophisticated approach to the app's core functionality, implementing texture coordinate mapping for the static black hole mode directly on the GPU. For the more complex rotating Kerr black hole calculations, the team pre-computed the textures using Mathematica due to the need for double-precision floating point mathematics. The entire project has been released as open-source under the GPL-3.0 license, encouraging community involvement and educational use.
Future Development and Community Response
The community has shown particular interest in potential augmented reality (AR) implementations, with developers considering integration with Apple Vision Pro. As one community member noted:
It would be neat to pin a black hole with a given radius into my living room, and walk around it! Maybe make it social by letting black holes that people drop somewhere IRL merge.
While such features present technical challenges, including the need for complete 360-degree environmental scanning, the development team has expressed interest in exploring these possibilities in future updates.
The app represents part of a broader outreach effort to engage the public with black hole physics, coinciding with the development of the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) space mission. This mission aims to capture the sharpest astronomical images ever taken, potentially resolving the theoretical photon ring around black holes.
Current limitations include iOS-specific implementation and some initial launch stability issues, though the developers are actively addressing these concerns. The team has already planned improvements for the next update, including options to toggle camera views and capture screenshots.
Source Citations: Black Hole Vision App Store Preview