That’s why the VLBI technique was essential to capturing the black hole image. To see details in objects that are far away and appear small and dim from Earth, we need to gather as much light as possible with very high resolution, so we need to use a telescope with a large aperture. The larger the diameter, or aperture, of the telescope, the greater its ability to gather more light and the higher its resolution (or ability to image fine details). Telescopes of all types are used to see distant objects. They set out to capture an image of a black hole by improving upon a technique that allows for the imaging of far-away objects, known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry, or VLBI. A team formed to take on the challenge, creating a network of telescopes known as the Event Horizon Telescope, or the EHT. Though scientists had theorized they could image black holes by capturing their silhouettes against their glowing surroundings, the ability to image an object so distant still eluded them. Learning about these mysterious structures can help students understand gravity and the dynamic nature of our universe, all while sharpening their math skills. Working for well over a decade to achieve the feat, the team improved upon an existing radio astronomy technique for high-resolution imaging and used it to detect the silhouette of a black hole – outlined by the glowing gas that surrounds its event horizon, the precipice beyond which light cannot escape. For scientists, the challenge was how, from thousands or even millions of light-years away, to capture an image of the hot, glowing gas falling into a black hole.Īn ambitious team of international astronomers and computer scientists has managed to accomplish both. In the popular imagination, it was thought that capturing an image of a black hole was impossible because an image of something from which no light can escape would appear completely black. Find out how scientists created a virtual telescope as large as Earth itself to capture the first image of a black hole's silhouette.Īccomplishing what was previously thought to be impossible, a team of international astronomers has captured an image of a black hole’s silhouette.Įvidence of the existence of black holes – mysterious places in space where nothing, not even light, can escape – has existed for quite some time, and astronomers have long observed the effects on the surroundings of these phenomena.

Black hole real image