The Christian Science Monitor

A black hole, once a mathematical curiosity, is brought to light

Blue Marble, meet Black Shadow.

In what Carlos Moedas, the European commissioner of research, called “a huge breakthrough for humanity,” the Event Horizon Telescope team revealed the first-ever image of the “shadow” of a black hole.

The color-shifted image, an ethereal swirling glow encircling a stark black disc, shows millimeter-wave radiation surrounding a black hole at the center of M87, a galaxy more than 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.

Created using data from eight radio telescopes around the earth run by a global consortium of scientific institutions, the Event Horizon Telescope’s image could prove as much of an iconic image of a black hole

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Christian Science Monitor

The Christian Science Monitor12 min read
These Migrants Bound For The US Border Found Their Dream Opportunity In Mexico
When Dales Louissaint left Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2016 amid growing lawlessness and economic crisis, his sights were set on the United States. For him, the American dream meant learning a new language, going to college, and becoming a lawyer.  Tod
The Christian Science Monitor5 min read
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Raises Port Safety Issues
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore left six construction workers dead after a massive cargo ship collided with it on Tuesday, trapping about a dozen ships in the harbor, and diverting traffic and cargo.  While some people voice
The Christian Science Monitor2 min readInternational Relations
Resilience Against Russian Lies
When the British think tank Chatham House decided last year to measure the resilience of countries to foreign interference, it chose the tiny nation of Moldova as a pilot study. The timing was perfect. In early March, Moldova’s national intelligence

Related Books & Audiobooks