Public lecture at Harvard University, by Dr. Daniel Evans of MIT and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"Black holes get a bad rap. Too often seen as cannibalistic bullies, they are, in fact, crucial to the formation and evolution of the Universe. Dr. Evans will discuss using the X-ray eyes of the Chandra X-ray Observatory to detect and study the properties of supermassive black holes in so-called "active" galaxies. Then, he will describe how astronomers use those observations to test Einstein's General Theory of Relativity in the most extreme environments. Finally, Evans will present Chandra's latest discovery - the "Death Star Galaxy" - and discuss the fact that while you might want to avoid this destructive black hole at present, it ultimately might not be a bad neighborhood in our Universe in which to live."