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

FG Reaffirms Commitment to Strengthening Democratic Governance Through Partnerships

State Health Insurance Agencies Urged to Unite for UHC National Target

Maktown Flyers Backed to Impress at Basketball Africa League Championship

Oborevwori Urges Quality Delivery as NASS Committees Begin NDDC Project Oversight in Delta

FCT UBEB Promotes Entrepreneurship, Innovation to Groom Generation of Problem-Solvers — Mandate Secretary

Topics

Wike Warns Contractors: June Deadline Is Binding

The Collapse of American Hegemonic Power Grid and Fiasco in Guaranteeing Security Safety-Net to Middle-Power States

Osunmaibio FC Win Ekeremor Title After Penalty Shootout Victory

Court Rejects Document in Alleged $35m NCDMB Fraud Trial

FG Backs AFRIDEX 2026, Urges Stronger Inter-Agency Collaboration on Security Innovation

Family Petitions Police Over Disappearance of 14-Year-Old in Katsina

NYSC Kogi Bids Farewell to Oshungbohun, Welcomes New Coordinator Chris-Moneke

Kogi Police Arrest Six University Students Over Viral Bullying Video

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

Wike Warns Contractors: June Deadline Is Binding

The Collapse of American Hegemonic Power Grid and Fiasco in Guaranteeing Security Safety-Net to Middle-Power States