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[Science](https://theweek.com/uk/science) [speed read](https://theweek.com/uk/speed-read) # This is the first-ever photo of a black hole By [Shivani Ishwar](https://theweek.com/uk/author/shivani-ishwar) published 10 April 2019  (Image credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration) Share - Copy link - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fspeedreads%2F834335%2Ffirstever-photo-black-hole) - [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=This+is+the+first-ever+photo+of+a+black+hole&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fspeedreads%2F834335%2Ffirstever-photo-black-hole) - [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fspeedreads%2F834335%2Ffirstever-photo-black-hole&title=This+is+the+first-ever+photo+of+a+black+hole&source=theweek.com) - [Whatsapp](whatsapp://send?text=This+is+the+first-ever+photo+of+a+black+hole+https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fspeedreads%2F834335%2Ffirstever-photo-black-hole?fwa) - [Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Fspeedreads%2F834335%2Ffirstever-photo-black-hole&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2FhoBkC22gHdiPLZ38GU7edD.png) Share this article Join the conversation [Follow us](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=theweek.com) Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com *** By submitting your information you agree to the [Terms & Conditions](https://futureplc.com/terms-conditions/) and [Privacy Policy](https://futureplc.com/privacy-policy/) and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful *** An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter After a week of building anticipation, scientists have finally revealed the first-ever photo of a black hole. The European Space Agency initially announced [last Monday](https://theweek.com/speedreads/832935/might-close-seeing-firstever-photograph-black-hole) that six international space agencies would hold press conferences to present the result from the [Event Horizon Telescope](https://eventhorizontelescope.org/) project, which has been working on capturing a photo of nearby black holes for more than a decade. Black holes are made up of a large amount of matter squeezed into a very small space, [NASA](https://theweek.com/uk/tag/nasa) [explains](https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes), and their gravitational pull is so strong that even light can't escape. That's why it's been so hard to photograph one before. But the Event Horizon Telescope project uses several different radio telescopes around the world, employing a method called "very-long-baseline inferometry" (VLBI for short) to combine the information from those telescopes and get a high-resolution image that a single telescope can't produce. Article continues below You may like - [ Nasa’s new dark matter map](https://theweek.com/science/nasas-new-dark-matter-map) - [ NASA launches Artemis II, new moonshot era](https://theweek.com/science/nasa-launches-artemis-ii-new-moonshot-era) - [ The ‘eclipse of the century’ is coming in 2027](https://theweek.com/science/solar-eclipse-of-the-century-2027) ## Savour the important news. Get unlimited access online, in app, or in print. [Start your free trial](https://theweek.com/subscription/brandsite?channel=Brandsite&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=brandsite&utm_content=uk-article-page)  ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our daily WeekDay news briefing to an award-winning Food & Drink email, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our daily WeekDay news briefing to an award-winning Food & Drink email, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. [Sign up](https://theweek.com/uk-newsletters) The result is this a groundbreaking image of a black hole in a nearby galaxy called M87. Though the black hole itself can't be seen, the "event horizon" is what's visible: the point after which no matter can possibly escape the black hole. At the event horizon, there is a bright halo of light getting sucked inward by the black hole's immense gravitational pull. The black hole strikes an imposing image against the darkness, looking a little like the eye of Sauron out in space. To learn more, watch the National Science Foundation's press conference at their [website](https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/blackholes). Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com By submitting your information you agree to the [Terms & Conditions](https://futureplc.com/terms-conditions/) and [Privacy Policy](https://futureplc.com/privacy-policy/) and are aged 16 or over. Explore More [STEM](https://theweek.com/uk/tag/stem) [Speed Reads](https://theweek.com/uk/speed-read) [Shivani Ishwar](https://theweek.com/uk/author/shivani-ishwar) Shivani is the editorial assistant at *TheWeek.com* and has previously written for *StreetEasy* and *Mic.com*. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies. 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After a week of building anticipation, scientists have finally revealed the first-ever photo of a black hole. The European Space Agency initially announced [last Monday](https://theweek.com/speedreads/832935/might-close-seeing-firstever-photograph-black-hole) that six international space agencies would hold press conferences to present the result from the [Event Horizon Telescope](https://eventhorizontelescope.org/) project, which has been working on capturing a photo of nearby black holes for more than a decade. Article continues below ## Savour the important news. Get unlimited access online, in app, or in print. [Start your free trial](https://theweek.com/subscription/brandsite?channel=Brandsite&utm_source=theweek.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=brandsite&utm_content=uk-article-page) ## Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our daily WeekDay news briefing to an award-winning Food & Drink email, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our daily WeekDay news briefing to an award-winning Food & Drink email, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. The result is this a groundbreaking image of a black hole in a nearby galaxy called M87. Though the black hole itself can't be seen, the "event horizon" is what's visible: the point after which no matter can possibly escape the black hole. At the event horizon, there is a bright halo of light getting sucked inward by the black hole's immense gravitational pull. The black hole strikes an imposing image against the darkness, looking a little like the eye of Sauron out in space. To learn more, watch the National Science Foundation's press conference at their [website](https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/blackholes). A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com