Messier 87

Latest

  • M87 black hole picture in polarized light, showing magnetic fields

    This is the most detailed picture of a black hole to date

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    03.27.2021

    Scientists have captured an image of the M87 galaxy's black hole showing how it looks in polarized light, revealing the shape of key magnetic fields.

  • EHT Collaboration

    This is the first real picture of a black hole

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    04.10.2019

    Yes, it happened. After years of relying on computer-generated imagery, scientists using the Event Horizon Telescope have captured the first real image of a black hole. The snapshot of the supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy (about 55 million light years away) shows the "shadow" created as the event horizon bends and sucks in light. It also confirms that the black hole is truly huge, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun. As you might imagine, taking this picture was tricky -- it required worldwide collaboration that wasn't possible until recently.