The First Image Of A Black Hole & A Video Showing How It Was Taken

As you’ve probably heard already, astronomers released the first photo of a black hole.

Here are tweets with the photo, a video describing how it was taken, and a comparison image.

I’m adding this post to The Best Images Taken In Space.

The #BlackHole family photo album gets its first picture! 😀This is the first ever image of a supermassive black hole: it’s located deep in the galaxy M87, about 55 million light years away from Earth & sporting a whopping 6.5 billion solar masses #EHTBlackHole pic.twitter.com/pXySNS7ce0

— Max Planck Society (@maxplanckpress) April 10, 2019

It was a pleasure for us scientists to work with the animator Nicolle R. Fuller and the @NSF on this beautiful #NSFfunded animation showing how paths of photons are bent around the black hole to form a circular ring outlining the #realblackhole in M87. @BlackHoleCam #EHTblackhole https://t.co/6PoS0D4W5m

— Event Horizon ‘Scope (@ehtelescope) April 10, 2019

Second XKCD comic on @ehtelescope science within a week! Now, that’s an honor! Fortunately, the press conferences did not go as #xkcd predicted last week! #EHTblackhole #realblackhole https://t.co/yJQHnf8UHu

— Event Horizon ‘Scope (@ehtelescope) April 10, 2019

Ever since physicists first conceived of black holes centuries ago, every image has been an illustration.

Until today. #EHTblackhole pic.twitter.com/aygOEoSqt9

— Vox (@voxdotcom) April 10, 2019