First Image of a Black Hole — The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) — a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration — was designed to capture images of a black hole. In coordinated press conferences across the globe, EHT researchers revealed that they succeeded, unveiling the first direct visual evidence of the supermassive black hole in the centre of Messier 87 and its shadow. The shadow of a black hole seen here is the closest we can come to an image of the black hole itself, a completely dark object from which light cannot escape. The black hole’s boundary — the event horizon from which the EHT takes its name — is around 2.5 times smaller than the shadow it casts and measures just under 40 billion km across. While this may sound large, this ring is only about 40 microarcseconds across — equivalent to measuring the length of a credit card on the surface of the Moon. Although the telescopes making up the EHT are not physically connected, they are able to synchronize their recorded data with atomic clocks — hydrogen masers — which precisely time their observations. These observations were collected at a wavelength of 1.3 mm during a 2017 global campaign. Each telescope of the EHT produced enormous amounts of data – roughly 350 terabytes per day – which was stored on high-performance helium-filled hard drives. These data were flown to highly specialised supercomputers — known as correlators — at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and MIT Haystack Observatory to be combined. They were then painstakingly converted into an image using novel computational tools developed by the collaboration.

Less than 1 min.Read

Fist ever Black Hole captured by scientists after many years

April 11, 2019

This is the first-ever image of a black hole. The photo was captured by combined efforts from 8 telescopes across the earth.

The first every photo of a black hole was released by scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

The photo features a central dark region with a bright light forming a sickle on one side with the other side not as bright.

The supermassive black hole was captured by 8 telescopes from around earth, using a Very-Long-Baseline-Interferometry to create a virtual telescope around the size of the earth.

Hot this week

Popular Categories

NewsPoliticsEntertainmentSportsBusiness and EconomyChina

Sudanese president, Omar Al-Bashir resigns.

Uber driver robs home of couple after dropping them off at the airport.

Fist ever Black Hole captured by scientists after many years

NTDA, Igbobi-Sabe Kingdom Move To Promote Gelede Festival As National Cultural Celebration

PAAU Vice-Chancellor Seeks Resolution of Alumni Dispute, Sets One-Month Timeline

Riyom/Barkin Ladi Reps Race: Aspirant John Chun Gains Support Ahead of 2027 Polls

Kogi Works Commissioner Visits Umahi, Seeks Stronger Collaboration on Federal Roads

Wike’s N5bn Deal: FCT NUT Suspends Strike, Orders Teachers Back Monday

Topics

Diri Approves 108 Houses For Bayelsa Civil Servants

Workers’ Day: Ododo Reaffirms Commitment to Workers’ Welfare as Labour Submits Fresh Demands

Otuan Backs Dr. Tokpo for Bayelsa Assembly Seat

Kaduna Gov Praises Tinubu for Approving Over N1trn Contracts to Transform State

Rights Group to sue Police over alleged land grabbing in Akwa Ibom

Falgore Describes Workers as the Engine Room for Positive Change

IHR Sets Up 2026 Hajj Media Monitoring Team

A’Ibom Unveils Equipment Leasing Hub to Drive Mechanised Agriculture

Related Articles

Daybreak Retracts Report On Amnesty Boss

THE “IDES” OF FEBRUARY AND A DIRGE FOR GENERAL MURTALA MOHAMMED (1938-1976)

Video: Police put hood on Black man killed by asphyxiation

HURIWA Carpets Buhari, South East leaders over Enugu Airport commissioning

Contract breach judgment: Firm lists 33 Nigeria’s UK properties to be sold

About Us

More

Editor Picks

Diri Approves 108 Houses For Bayelsa Civil Servants

Workers’ Day: Ododo Reaffirms Commitment to Workers’ Welfare as Labour Submits Fresh Demands