🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 8 (from laksa126)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa008.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html","crawl_time":1775682846,"first_indexed_time":1554904219,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,space!www,\/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html s443","src_root_hash":"7770394665477845008","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Eureka! Black Hole Photographed for 1st Time | Space","meta_descriptions":["For the first time ever, humanity has photographed a black hole, shining light on an exotic realm that had long been beyond our ken."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow.\n(Image credit: EHT Collaboration)\nBlack holes\nhave finally been dragged out of the shadows.\nFor the first time ever, humanity has photographed one of these elusive cosmic beasts, shining light on an exotic space-time realm that had long been beyond our ken. \n\"We have seen what we thought was unseeable,\" Sheperd Doeleman, of Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said today (April 10) during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.\n\"There's really a new field to explore,\" Peter Galison, a professor of physics and the history of science at Harvard, said in\nan EHT talk last month\nat the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. \"And that's ultimately what's so exciting about this.\"\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!\nGalison, who co-founded Harvard's interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative (BHI), compared the imagery's potential impact to that of the drawings made by English scientist Robert Hooke in the 1600s. These illustrations showed people what insects and plants look like through a microscope.\n\"It opened a world,\" Galison said of Hooke's work. \nA telescope the size of Earth\nThe EHT is a consortium of more than 200 scientists that has been in the works for about two decades. It's a truly international endeavor; funding over the years has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation and many other organizations in countries around the world.\nThe project takes its name from a black hole's famed point of no return — the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the object's gravitational clutches.\n\"The\nevent horizon\nis the ultimate prison wall,\" BHI founding director Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard's astronomy department, told Space.com. (Loeb is not part of the EHT team.) \"Once you're in, you can never get out.\"\nIt's therefore impossible to photograph the interior of a black hole, unless you somehow manage to get in there yourself. (You and your pictures couldn't make it back to the outside world, of course.) \nSo, the EHT images the event horizon, mapping out the black hole's dark silhouette. (The disk of fast-moving gas swirling around and into black holes emits lots of radiation, so such silhouettes stand out.) \n\"We're looking for the loss of photons,\" EHT science council member Dan Marrone, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, told Space.com.\nThe project has been scrutinizing two black holes — the M87 behemoth, which harbors about 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth's sun, and our own Milky Way galaxy's central black hole, known as\nSagittarius A*\n. This latter object, while still a supermassive black hole, is a runt compared to M87's beast, containing a mere 4.3 million solar masses.\nBoth of these objects are tough targets because of their immense distance from Earth. Sagittarius A* lies about 26,000 light-years from us, and M87's black hole is a whopping 53.5 million light-years away.\nFrom our perspective, Sagittarius A*'s event horizon \"is so small that it's the equivalent of seeing an orange on the moon or being able to read the newspaper in Los Angeles while you're sitting in New York City,\" Doeleman said during the SXSW event last month.\nNo single telescope on Earth can make that observation, so Doeleman and the rest of the EHT team had to get creative. The researchers have linked up radio telescopes in Arizona, Spain, Mexico, Antarctica and other places around the world, forming a virtual instrument the size of Earth. \n \nRelated:\nImages: Black Holes of the Universe\nSo much data\nThe EHT team has used this megascope to study the two\nsupermassive black holes\nfor two weeklong stretches to date — once in April 2017 and again the following year. The new imagery comes from the first observing run.\nThere are good reasons why it's taken two years for the project's first result to come out. For one thing, each night of observing generated about 1 petabyte of data, resulting in such a haul that the team has to move its information from place to place the old-fashioned way.\n\"There's no way that we can transfer this data through the internet,\" EHT project scientist Dimitrios Psaltis, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said at the SXSW event. \"So, what we actually do is, we take our hard drives and we FedEx them from place to place. This is much faster than any cable that you can ever find.\"\nThis slows and complicates analysis, of course. Data from the EHT scope near the South Pole, for example, couldn't get off Antarctica until December 2017, when it was warm enough for planes to go in and out, Marrone said.\nCorrelating and calibrating the data was also tricky, he added. And the team took great care with this work, given the momentous nature of the find.\n\"If you're going to come with a big claim of imaging a black hole, you have to have big evidence, very strong evidence,\" Doeleman said at the SXSW event (which served as an explainer of the EHT effort but did not announce any results).\n\"And on our project, we often think that people like [Albert] Einstein, [Arthur] Eddington [and Karl] Schwarzschild are kind of looking over our shoulders,\" he added, referring to physicists who helped pioneer our understanding of black holes. \"And when you have luminaries kind of virtually checking your work, you really want to get it right.\"\nRelated:\nThe Strangest Black Holes in the Universe\nA simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole.\n(Image credit: University of Arizona)\nWhat it all means\nThe EHT project has two main goals, Psaltis said: to image an event horizon for the first time ever and to help determine if\nEinstein's theory of general relativity\nneeds any revisions.\nBefore Einstein came along, gravity was generally regarded as a mysterious force at a distance. But general relativity describes it as the warping of space-time: Massive objects such as planets, stars and black holes create a sort of sag in space-time, much as a bowling ball would if placed on a trampoline. Nearby objects follow this curve and get funneled toward the central mass. \nGeneral relativity has held up incredibly well over the century since its introduction, passing every test that scientists have thrown at it. But the EHT's observations provide another trial, in an extreme realm where predictions may not match reality. That's because astronomers can calculate the expected size and shape of an event horizon using general relativity, Psaltis explained. \nIf the observed silhouette matches the theory-informed simulations, \"then Einstein was 100% right,\" Psaltis said. \"If the answer is no, then we have to tweak his theory in order to make it work with experiments. This is how science goes.\"\nAnd we learned today that no tweaks are needed, at least at the moment: EHT's M87 observations are consistent with general relativity, team members said. Namely, the event horizon is nearly circular and is the \"right\" size for a black hole of that immense mass.\n\"I have to admit, I was a little stunned that it matched so closely the predictions that we had made,\" EHT team member Avery Broderick, of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, said during today's news conference.\nSuch ground-truthing is vital to the scientific process, of course. Indeed, providing better information to feed into theories and simulations will likely be one of the EHT's biggest contributions, Loeb said. \n\"Doing physics is a dialog with nature,\" he said. \"We test our ideas by comparing them to experiments; experimental data is crucial.\"\nThe new results should also help scientists get a better handle on black holes, he and other researchers said. For example, EHT imagery will likely shine significant light on how gas spirals down into a black hole's maw. This accretion process, which can lead to the generation of powerful jets of radiation, is poorly understood, Loeb said.\nIn addition, the shape of an event horizon can reveal whether a black hole is spinning, said Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, the principal investigator of NASA's black-hole-studying\nNuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array\n(NuSTAR) mission.\n\"We've inferred the spin of black holes indirectly,\" Harrison, who's not part of the EHT team, told Space.com. EHT imagery provides \"a direct test, which is very exciting,\" she added.\nEHT's data revealed the M87 black hole is spinning clockwise, team members said today. \nThe project should also show how matter is distributed around a black hole, and EHT observations could eventually teach astronomers a great deal about how supermassive black holes shape the evolution of their host galaxies over long time scales, Harrison said.\nEHT's results also mesh well with those of the\nLaser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory\n(LIGO), which has detected the space-time ripples generated by mergers involving black holes just a few dozen times more massive than the sun.\n\"Despite varying across a factor of billion in mass, known black holes are all consistent with a single description,\" Broderick said today. \"Black holes big and small are analogous in important ways. What we learn from one [type] necessarily applies to the other.\"\nAnd in case you're wondering about Sagittarius A*: The EHT team hopes to get imagery of that supermassive black hole soon, Doeleman said today. The researchers looked at M87 first, and it's a bit easier to resolve than Sagittarius A* because it's less variable over short timescales, he explained.\nA new perspective?\nThen there's the broader appeal of the newly released imagery — how it speaks to those of us who aren't astrophysicists. \nThe contributions in this arena could be significant, EHT team members and outside scientists said. Photos can change the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, Marrone noted, citing the famous \"Earthrise\" photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in December 1968. This image, which gave the masses a glimpse of our planet as it really is — a lonely outpost of life in an infinite sea of darkness — is widely credited with helping to spur the environmental movement.\nSeeing a real-life black hole — or its silhouette, anyway — \"is the stuff of science fiction,\" Harrison said. And we've seen just the project's first few photos, she added: \"They're only going to get better.\" \nAstronomers to Peer into a Black Hole for 1st Time with Event Horizon Telescope\nThis Huge Black Hole Is Spinning at Half the Speed of Light!\n8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries\nMike Wall's book about the search for alien life, \"\nOut There\n\" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by\nKarl Tate\n), is out now. Follow him on Twitter\n@michaeldwall\n. Follow us on Twitter\n@Spacedotcom\nor\nFacebook\n. \nShare your thoughts\n0\n0\n0\n0\nJoin the community\nJoin the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers.\nAlready have an account?\nLog in\nLog In\nForgotten your password?\nReset it\nNot got an account?\nRegister\nMy Details\nUpdate your details below...\nKeep in the Know\nWould you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners?\nValidate Your Mobile No.\nWe have sent a code to\n. Please enter it below to verify your account.\nUpdate mobile number\nResend code\nUpdate Your Mobile No.\nYou may enter a new mobile number below. You will be sent a verification code to the phone number you provide.\nCancel\nembed-reactions.hint_heading\nembed-reactions.hint_subheading\nValidate Your Email Address\nWe have sent a code to\n. Please enter it below to verify your account.\nUpdate email address\nResend code\nUpdate Your Email Address\nYou may enter a new email address below. You will be sent a verification code to the address you provide.\nCancel\nCreate a Username\nThis will be publicly viewable so make it something you like!\nReset your password\nEnter your email address below. If it is registered with us, we will email you a code that will allow you to reset your password.\nCheck your inbox\nIf your email address was found in our system, you should receive an email in the next few minutes containing a code. Enter that code below to reset your password.\nSet new password\nPlease enter your new password below.\nLeaderboard\nRank\nPlayer\nScore\nTime\nMichael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for\nSpace.com\nand joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic  spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, \"Out There,\" was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.","attrs_markdown":"![](https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p\/?c1=2&c2=10055482&cv=4.4.0&cj=1)\n\n[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html#main)\n\nOpen menu\n\n[![Space](https:\/\/www.space.com\/media\/img\/spc-logo-w.svg) Space](https:\/\/www.space.com\/)\n\n[Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter](https:\/\/www.space.com\/newsletter)\n\n[RSS](https:\/\/www.space.com\/feeds.xml)\n\nSign in\n\n- View Profile\n- Sign out\n\nSearch\n\n- [Space Exploration](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration)\n  - [Launches & Spacecraft](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/launches-spacecraft)\n    - [Private spaceflight](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/private-spaceflight)\n    - [Human spaceflight](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/human-spaceflight)\n    - [SpaceX](https:\/\/www.space.com\/tag\/spacex)\n    - [Blue Origin](https:\/\/www.space.com\/tag\/blue-origin)\n    - 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[Astronomy](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy)\n2. [Black Holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes)\n# Eureka! Scientists Photograph a Black Hole for the 1st Time\n[News](https:\/\/www.space.com\/news)\n\nBy [Mike Wall](https:\/\/www.space.com\/author\/mike-wall)\n\npublished\n\nApril 10, 2019\n\nBlack holes have finally been dragged out of the shadows.\n\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Here’s how it works](https:\/\/www.space.com\/41418-about-us.html#section-affiliate-advertising-disclosure).\n\nClick for next article\n\n![The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jTVzX3HFWeZTNJJVtLESbU.jpg)\n\nThe Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow. (Image credit: EHT Collaboration)\n\nShare\n\n- Copy link\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Ffirst-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html)\n- [X](https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Eureka%21+Scientists+Photograph+a+Black+Hole+for+the+1st+Time&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Ffirst-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html)\n- [Whatsapp](whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Eureka%21+Scientists+Photograph+a+Black+Hole+for+the+1st+Time+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Ffirst-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html?fwa)\n- [Reddit](https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Ffirst-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html&title=Eureka%21+Scientists+Photograph+a+Black+Hole+for+the+1st+Time)\n- [Pinterest](https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Ffirst-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html&media=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2FjTVzX3HFWeZTNJJVtLESbU.jpg)\n- [Flipboard](https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?title=Eureka%21+Scientists+Photograph+a+Black+Hole+for+the+1st+Time&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Ffirst-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html)\n- [Email](mailto:?subject=I%20found%20this%20webpage&body=Hi,%20I%20found%20this%20webpage%20and%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html)\n\nShare this article\n\nJoin the conversation\n\n[Follow us](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=space.com)\n\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n\nNewsletter\n\nGet the Space.com Newsletter\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\n***\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). 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Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us\\!\n\nSubscribe +\n\n![Strange New Words](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/Mk2LrCm68RFHzQhNyQaH2Y.jpg)\n\nTwice a month\n\nStrange New Words\n\nSpace.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans\\!\n\nSubscribe +\n\n***\nAn account already exists for this email address, please log in.\n\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n\n[Black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) have finally been dragged out of the shadows.\n\nFor the first time ever, humanity has photographed one of these elusive cosmic beasts, shining light on an exotic space-time realm that had long been beyond our ken.\n\n\"We have seen what we thought was unseeable,\" Sheperd Doeleman, of Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said today (April 10) during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.\n\nYou may like\n\n- [![(Main) An illustration of the supermassive black hole M87\\* (Inset) the NASA\/JAXA mission XRISM](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7m3KGMqKhwNrKVJp48qVvT.png) NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/nasa-x-ray-spacecraft-stares-into-the-eye-of-the-storm-swirling-around-supermassive-black-holes)\n- [![M87\\* and its cosmic blowtorch-like jet as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hpLw8QjLxtFpwGinGSiYF7.png) Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow)\n- [![Screenshot from a new NASA animation highlighting some of the universe\\&\\#039;s biggest black holes, including the record-holding TON 618, which is about as massive as 60 billion suns.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LonKAe8kapjmivFoVTBLRX.jpeg) James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/james-webb-space-telescope\/james-webb-space-telescope-data-backs-new-origin-story-for-the-universes-1st-supermassive-black-holes)\n\n**Related:** [**What Exactly Is a Black Hole Event Horizon (and What Happens There)?**](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html)\n\nDoeleman directs the [Event Horizon Telescope](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope-is-trying-to-photograph-black-holes.html) (EHT) project, which captured the epic imagery. These four photos, which were unveiled today at press events around the world and in a series of published papers, outline the contours of the monster black hole lurking at the heart of the elliptical galaxy M87.\n\nThe imagery is mind-blowing enough in its own right. But even more significant is the trail the new results will likely blaze, researchers said.\n\n\"There's really a new field to explore,\" Peter Galison, a professor of physics and the history of science at Harvard, said in [an EHT talk last month](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope-is-trying-to-photograph-black-holes.html) at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. \"And that's ultimately what's so exciting about this.\"\n\nGet the Space.com Newsletter\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\nBy signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/terms-conditions\\\/)  and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\\\/\\\/futureplc.com\\\/privacy-policy\\\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time.\n\nGalison, who co-founded Harvard's interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative (BHI), compared the imagery's potential impact to that of the drawings made by English scientist Robert Hooke in the 1600s. These illustrations showed people what insects and plants look like through a microscope.\n\n\"It opened a world,\" Galison said of Hooke's work.\n\n[Click here for more Space.com videos...](https:\/\/videos.space.com\/m\/bMS8JtGr\/how-to-photograph-a-black-hole-event-horizon-telescope-explained?list=9wzCTV4g)\n\n## A telescope the size of Earth\nThe EHT is a consortium of more than 200 scientists that has been in the works for about two decades. It's a truly international endeavor; funding over the years has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation and many other organizations in countries around the world.\n\nWhat to read next\n\n- [![A illustration of a tidal disruption event in which a star is devoured by a black hole](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ziLUfcpZKdNodG7ttnHh3e.png) Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/scientists-may-have-found-a-missing-link-black-hole-ripping-up-and-devouring-a-star)\n- [![An illustration shows dark matter powering the heart of a spiral galaxy](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/69kRCSZKQ5H5nddwqCTGR3.png) Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/could-the-milky-way-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-actually-be-a-clump-of-dark-matter)\n- [![Images of the twisted jet of matter OJ287 erupting from a distant black hole as seen by the EHT](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tgMzuuacJWYAtq6kqNFh8J.png) Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/astronomers-watch-2-supermassive-black-holes-caught-in-a-twisted-dance-with-never-before-seen-jet-behavior)\n\nThe project takes its name from a black hole's famed point of no return — the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the object's gravitational clutches.\n\n\"The [event horizon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html) is the ultimate prison wall,\" BHI founding director Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard's astronomy department, told Space.com. (Loeb is not part of the EHT team.) \"Once you're in, you can never get out.\"\n\nIt's therefore impossible to photograph the interior of a black hole, unless you somehow manage to get in there yourself. (You and your pictures couldn't make it back to the outside world, of course.)\n\nSo, the EHT images the event horizon, mapping out the black hole's dark silhouette. (The disk of fast-moving gas swirling around and into black holes emits lots of radiation, so such silhouettes stand out.)\n\n\"We're looking for the loss of photons,\" EHT science council member Dan Marrone, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, told Space.com.\n\nThe project has been scrutinizing two black holes — the M87 behemoth, which harbors about 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth's sun, and our own Milky Way galaxy's central black hole, known as [Sagittarius A\\*](https:\/\/www.space.com\/42317-milky-way-supermassive-black-hole-stuff-circling-drain.html). This latter object, while still a supermassive black hole, is a runt compared to M87's beast, containing a mere 4.3 million solar masses.\n\nBoth of these objects are tough targets because of their immense distance from Earth. Sagittarius A\\* lies about 26,000 light-years from us, and M87's black hole is a whopping 53.5 million light-years away.\n\nFrom our perspective, Sagittarius A\\*'s event horizon \"is so small that it's the equivalent of seeing an orange on the moon or being able to read the newspaper in Los Angeles while you're sitting in New York City,\" Doeleman said during the SXSW event last month.\n\nNo single telescope on Earth can make that observation, so Doeleman and the rest of the EHT team had to get creative. The researchers have linked up radio telescopes in Arizona, Spain, Mexico, Antarctica and other places around the world, forming a virtual instrument the size of Earth.\n\n**Related:** [**Images: Black Holes of the Universe**](https:\/\/www.space.com\/31-black-holes-universe.html)\n\n[Click here for more Space.com videos...](https:\/\/videos.space.com\/m\/mT90GSQM\/event-horizon-telescope-aims-to-capture-black-hole-photo?list=9wzCTV4g)\n\n## So much data\nThe EHT team has used this megascope to study the two [supermassive black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/43091-supermassive-black-hole-formation-early-universe.html) for two weeklong stretches to date — once in April 2017 and again the following year. The new imagery comes from the first observing run.\n\nThere are good reasons why it's taken two years for the project's first result to come out. For one thing, each night of observing generated about 1 petabyte of data, resulting in such a haul that the team has to move its information from place to place the old-fashioned way.\n\n\"There's no way that we can transfer this data through the internet,\" EHT project scientist Dimitrios Psaltis, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said at the SXSW event. \"So, what we actually do is, we take our hard drives and we FedEx them from place to place. This is much faster than any cable that you can ever find.\"\n\nThis slows and complicates analysis, of course. Data from the EHT scope near the South Pole, for example, couldn't get off Antarctica until December 2017, when it was warm enough for planes to go in and out, Marrone said.\n\nCorrelating and calibrating the data was also tricky, he added. And the team took great care with this work, given the momentous nature of the find.\n\n\"If you're going to come with a big claim of imaging a black hole, you have to have big evidence, very strong evidence,\" Doeleman said at the SXSW event (which served as an explainer of the EHT effort but did not announce any results).\n\n\"And on our project, we often think that people like \\[Albert\\] Einstein, \\[Arthur\\] Eddington \\[and Karl\\] Schwarzschild are kind of looking over our shoulders,\" he added, referring to physicists who helped pioneer our understanding of black holes. \"And when you have luminaries kind of virtually checking your work, you really want to get it right.\"\n\n**Related:** [**The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe**](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15941-strangest-black-holes-universe-countdown.html)\n\n![A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/HaTBBocr2eSYZesTqsrKA.jpg)\n\nA simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole. (Image credit: University of Arizona)\n## What it all means\nThe EHT project has two main goals, Psaltis said: to image an event horizon for the first time ever and to help determine if [Einstein's theory of general relativity](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) needs any revisions.\n\nBefore Einstein came along, gravity was generally regarded as a mysterious force at a distance. But general relativity describes it as the warping of space-time: Massive objects such as planets, stars and black holes create a sort of sag in space-time, much as a bowling ball would if placed on a trampoline. Nearby objects follow this curve and get funneled toward the central mass.\n\nGeneral relativity has held up incredibly well over the century since its introduction, passing every test that scientists have thrown at it. But the EHT's observations provide another trial, in an extreme realm where predictions may not match reality. That's because astronomers can calculate the expected size and shape of an event horizon using general relativity, Psaltis explained.\n\nIf the observed silhouette matches the theory-informed simulations, \"then Einstein was 100% right,\" Psaltis said. \"If the answer is no, then we have to tweak his theory in order to make it work with experiments. This is how science goes.\"\n\nAnd we learned today that no tweaks are needed, at least at the moment: EHT's M87 observations are consistent with general relativity, team members said. Namely, the event horizon is nearly circular and is the \"right\" size for a black hole of that immense mass.\n\n\"I have to admit, I was a little stunned that it matched so closely the predictions that we had made,\" EHT team member Avery Broderick, of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, said during today's news conference.\n\n[Click here for more Space.com videos...](https:\/\/videos.space.com\/m\/Jk3aNiek\/black-hole-image-explained-by-theoretical-physicist?list=9wzCTV4g)\n\nSuch ground-truthing is vital to the scientific process, of course. Indeed, providing better information to feed into theories and simulations will likely be one of the EHT's biggest contributions, Loeb said.\n\n\"Doing physics is a dialog with nature,\" he said. \"We test our ideas by comparing them to experiments; experimental data is crucial.\"\n\nThe new results should also help scientists get a better handle on black holes, he and other researchers said. For example, EHT imagery will likely shine significant light on how gas spirals down into a black hole's maw. This accretion process, which can lead to the generation of powerful jets of radiation, is poorly understood, Loeb said.\n\nIn addition, the shape of an event horizon can reveal whether a black hole is spinning, said Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, the principal investigator of NASA's black-hole-studying [Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array](https:\/\/www.space.com\/37182-nasa-nustar-black-hole-observatory-5-images-5-years.html) (NuSTAR) mission.\n\n\"We've inferred the spin of black holes indirectly,\" Harrison, who's not part of the EHT team, told Space.com. EHT imagery provides \"a direct test, which is very exciting,\" she added.\n\nEHT's data revealed the M87 black hole is spinning clockwise, team members said today.\n\nThe project should also show how matter is distributed around a black hole, and EHT observations could eventually teach astronomers a great deal about how supermassive black holes shape the evolution of their host galaxies over long time scales, Harrison said.\n\nEHT's results also mesh well with those of the [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory](https:\/\/www.space.com\/25423-ligo-gravitational-waves-observatory-photos.html) (LIGO), which has detected the space-time ripples generated by mergers involving black holes just a few dozen times more massive than the sun.\n\n\"Despite varying across a factor of billion in mass, known black holes are all consistent with a single description,\" Broderick said today. \"Black holes big and small are analogous in important ways. What we learn from one \\[type\\] necessarily applies to the other.\"\n\nAnd in case you're wondering about Sagittarius A\\*: The EHT team hopes to get imagery of that supermassive black hole soon, Doeleman said today. The researchers looked at M87 first, and it's a bit easier to resolve than Sagittarius A\\* because it's less variable over short timescales, he explained.\n\n[Click here for more Space.com videos...](https:\/\/videos.space.com\/m\/0gEcwi00\/first-ever-black-hole-image-released?list=9wzCTV4g)\n\n## A new perspective?\nThen there's the broader appeal of the newly released imagery — how it speaks to those of us who aren't astrophysicists.\n\nThe contributions in this arena could be significant, EHT team members and outside scientists said. Photos can change the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, Marrone noted, citing the famous \"Earthrise\" photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in December 1968. This image, which gave the masses a glimpse of our planet as it really is — a lonely outpost of life in an infinite sea of darkness — is widely credited with helping to spur the environmental movement.\n\nSeeing a real-life black hole — or its silhouette, anyway — \"is the stuff of science fiction,\" Harrison said. And we've seen just the project's first few photos, she added: \"They're only going to get better.\"\n\n- [Astronomers to Peer into a Black Hole for 1st Time with Event Horizon Telescope](https:\/\/www.space.com\/36209-astronomers-will-peer-inside-black-event-horizon-telescope.html)\n- [This Huge Black Hole Is Spinning at Half the Speed of Light\\!](https:\/\/www.space.com\/42953-black-hole-spins-at-half-light-speed.html)\n- [8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15936-astronomy-mysteries-science-countdown.html)\n\n*Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, \"*[*Out There*](https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FOut-There-Scientific-Antimatter-Cosmically%2Fdp%2F1538729377%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-2738472146419429680-20)*\" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by*[*Karl Tate*](http:\/\/www.karltate.com\/)*), is out now. Follow him on Twitter* [*@michaeldwall*](http:\/\/twitter.com\/michaeldwall)*. Follow us on Twitter*[*@Spacedotcom*](http:\/\/twitter.com\/spacedotcom) *or*[*Facebook*](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/spacecom)*.*\n\n**Share your thoughts**\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\nRandom QuizPlay a Random Quiz\n\nFilter by Category\n\nJoin the community\n\nJoin the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers.\n\nI'm in\\!\n\nNot right now\n\nAlready have an account? Log in\n\nThis page will close automatically once you have completed the authorisation process\n\nMy Details\n\nUpdate your details below...\n\nKeep in the Know\n\nWould you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners?\n\nOK\n\nValidate Your Mobile No.\n\nWe have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account.\n\nUpdate Your Mobile No.\n\nYou may enter a new mobile number below. 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Enter that code below to reset your password.\n\nSet new password\n\nPlease enter your new password below.\n\nLeaderboard\n\n| Rank | Player | Score | Time |\n|---|---|---|---|\n\nLog In or Register\n\nMore Quizzes\n\nLog Out\n\n![Mike Wall](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ko9uBeoLfpGrWgq3eDjap3.jpg)\n\n[Mike Wall](https:\/\/www.space.com\/author\/mike-wall)\n\nSocial Links Navigation\n\nSpaceflight and Tech Editor\n\nMichael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for [Space.com](https:\/\/www.space.com\/) and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, \"Out There,\" was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.\n\nRead more\n\n[![(Main) An illustration of the supermassive black hole M87\\* (Inset) the NASA\/JAXA mission XRISM](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7m3KGMqKhwNrKVJp48qVvT.png) Black Holes NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/nasa-x-ray-spacecraft-stares-into-the-eye-of-the-storm-swirling-around-supermassive-black-holes \"NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes\")\n\n[![M87\\* and its cosmic blowtorch-like jet as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hpLw8QjLxtFpwGinGSiYF7.png) Black Holes Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow \"Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'\")\n\n[![Screenshot from a new NASA animation highlighting some of the universe\\&\\#039;s biggest black holes, including the record-holding TON 618, which is about as massive as 60 billion suns.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/LonKAe8kapjmivFoVTBLRX.jpeg) James Webb Space Telescope James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/james-webb-space-telescope\/james-webb-space-telescope-data-backs-new-origin-story-for-the-universes-1st-supermassive-black-holes \"James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes\")\n\n[![A illustration of a tidal disruption event in which a star is devoured by a black hole](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ziLUfcpZKdNodG7ttnHh3e.png) Black Holes Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/scientists-may-have-found-a-missing-link-black-hole-ripping-up-and-devouring-a-star \"Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star\")\n\n[![An illustration shows dark matter powering the heart of a spiral galaxy](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/69kRCSZKQ5H5nddwqCTGR3.png) Dark Universe Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/dark-universe\/could-the-milky-way-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-actually-be-a-clump-of-dark-matter \"Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?\")\n\n[![Images of the twisted jet of matter OJ287 erupting from a distant black hole as seen by the EHT](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tgMzuuacJWYAtq6kqNFh8J.png) Black Holes Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/astronomers-watch-2-supermassive-black-holes-caught-in-a-twisted-dance-with-never-before-seen-jet-behavior \"Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior\")\n\nLatest in Black Holes\n\n[![A black circle in the center of the illustration surrounded by swirling glowing patterns spiraling outward from it. The left side is colored red while the right side is colored purple.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JjhmXS8mFkbE5qXSnb8ggA.png) Black Holes Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/could-our-universe-exist-because-black-holes-ate-up-all-the-antimatter \"Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?\")\n\n[![An illustration of the supermassive black hole IRAS 05189-2524 which the XRISM spacecraft watched spring back to life](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/EfPEznfetDrGHyxBc9hwwQ.png) Black Holes X-ray spacecraft watches monster black hole wake up and fire cosmic bullets at starburst galaxy](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/x-ray-spacecraft-watches-monster-black-hole-wake-up-and-fire-cosmic-bullets-at-starburst-galaxy \"X-ray spacecraft watches monster black hole wake up and fire cosmic bullets at starburst galaxy\")\n\n[![ Illustration of an eccentric neutron star–black hole binary. The neutron star’s path is shown in blue and the black hole’s motion in orange as the two objects orbit each other.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/EmaYyXsYbtCknzr4JwN2JD.png) Black Holes Black hole and neutron star mergers push the laws of physics with their odd orbits](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/black-hole-and-neutron-star-mergers-push-the-laws-of-physics-with-their-odd-orbits \"Black hole and neutron star mergers push the laws of physics with their odd orbits\")\n\n[![An illustration of colliding black holes setting the fabric of space ringing with gravitational waves.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/AU4KyD58keEkWydH4ooKJh.png) Black Holes The universe is humming with ripples in spacetime: Scientists just doubled our catalog of black hole and neutron star collisions](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/the-universe-is-humming-with-ripples-in-spacetime-scientists-just-doubled-our-catalog-of-black-hole-and-neutron-star-collisions \"The universe is humming with ripples in spacetime: Scientists just doubled our catalog of black hole and neutron star collisions\")\n\n[![An image showing blobs of yellow and purple light with insets of illustrations showing what these blobs could represent.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/BdHb23dnDCzfjWzeVfdgyC.png) Black Holes Black holes! Supernovas! Merging galaxies! Oh my! Largest radio survey of the cosmos ever reveals 13.7 million powerful cosmic objects and events](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/black-holes-supernovas-merging-galaxies-oh-my-largest-radio-survey-of-the-cosmos-ever-reveals-13-7-million-powerful-cosmic-objects-and-events \"Black holes! Supernovas! Merging galaxies! Oh my! Largest radio survey of the cosmos ever reveals 13.7 million powerful cosmic objects and events\")\n\n[![An illustration of two black circles in the center of the screen separated by a red dot. There\\&\\#039;s a glowing blue circle around both black circles and a red semi-circle at the bottom.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/VAGT8xLGFWzj5UeRpR7pEe.png) Black Holes Starlight warped in the fabric of spacetime could help us find hidden black holes dancing together](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/starlight-warped-in-the-fabric-of-spacetime-could-help-us-find-hidden-black-holes-dancing-together \"Starlight warped in the fabric of spacetime could help us find hidden black holes dancing together\")\n\nLatest in News\n\n[![The Artemis 2 crew took this photo on April 4, 2026, Day 4 of their journey to the moon. The moon is oriented with the south pole at the top. Orientale Basin is on the right edge of the lunar disk in this image. Artemis 2 marks the first time that humans have seen the entire basin. The astronauts will continue to observe Orientale from multiple angles as they approach the moon and throughout the lunar flyby. Orientale is the textbook multi-ring impact basin used as a baseline to compare other impact craters on rocky worlds from Mercury to Pluto.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/oVuH9LJDfhPZqkCkanSFrY.jpg) Artemis When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-from-your-orion-ship-up-high-thats-a-mare \"When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2\")\n\n[![Two images with a view of an NASA Orion spacecraft on left and space toilet on right.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XhYwpeuFZFXywkGEqVuReJ.png) Artemis The breakout star of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission isn't an astronaut — it's the space toilet](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/the-breakout-star-of-nasas-artemis-2-mission-to-the-moon-isnt-an-astronaut-its-the-space-toilet \"The breakout star of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission isn't an astronaut — it's the space toilet\")\n\n[![Screenshot from a NASA animation showing the final stages of the solar ecliipse that Artemis 2 astronauts will see from their vantage point beyond the moon on April 6, 2026. The sun is starting to emerge from the moon\\&\\#039;s left limb.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hAVR2rPXCZEqW2s3GY9DDQ.jpg) Artemis Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-astronauts-are-about-to-see-one-of-the-rarest-skywatching-sights-of-all-a-solar-eclipse-from-beyond-the-moon \"Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon\")\n\n[![Artemis 2 astronaut Victor Glover (with microphone) delivers an impromptu Easter message on the way to the moon on April 4, 2026.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/9dAQ2oiV5gZPbgrbSEwMyj.jpg) Artemis This is the inspiring Easter message an Artemis 2 astronaut has for Earth while traveling to the moon (video)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-astronaut-victor-glover-delivers-inspiring-easter-message-on-the-way-to-the-moon-video \"This is the inspiring Easter message an Artemis 2 astronaut has for Earth while traveling to the moon (video)\")\n\n[![The Orion spacecraft with NASA logos visible on the way to the moon on Artemis 2](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nZFVXCS7B7M7mpBbEnmZyb.jpg) Artemis Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-astronauts-now-halfway-to-the-moon-report-burning-smell-from-toilet-but-everythings-fine \"Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine\")\n\n[![Taken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon, with astronauts Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell aboard.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/QmSgRCb5z62ZVgjdeDyDrB.jpg) Artemis Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-will-try-to-recreate-apollo-8s-historic-earthrise-photo-during-april-6-flyby \"Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby\")\n\nMORE FROM SPACE...\n\n1. [![view of the full, big disk of the moon taken by the Artemis 2 astronauts](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/oVuH9LJDfhPZqkCkanSFrY.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-from-your-orion-ship-up-high-thats-a-mare \"When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2\")\n   \n   1\n   \n   [When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-from-your-orion-ship-up-high-thats-a-mare)\n2. 2\n   \n   [Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-astronauts-are-about-to-see-one-of-the-rarest-skywatching-sights-of-all-a-solar-eclipse-from-beyond-the-moon)\n3. 3\n   \n   [The breakout star of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission isn't an astronaut — it's the space toilet](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/the-breakout-star-of-nasas-artemis-2-mission-to-the-moon-isnt-an-astronaut-its-the-space-toilet)\n4. 4\n   \n   [The powerful new Rubin Observatory just found 11,000 new asteroids and measured 'tens of thousands more'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/asteroids\/the-powerful-new-rubin-observatory-just-found-11-000-new-asteroids-and-measured-tens-of-thousands-more)\n5. 5\n   \n   [Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-will-try-to-recreate-apollo-8s-historic-earthrise-photo-during-april-6-flyby)\n\nSpace is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. [Visit our corporate site](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/).\n\n[![Add as a preferred source on Google](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/mednnv697g1760357120.png) Add as a preferred source on Google](https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=space.com)\n\n- [About Us](https:\/\/www.space.com\/41418-about-us.html)\n- [Contact Future's experts](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/contact\/)\n- [Terms and conditions](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/)\n- [Privacy policy](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/)\n- [Cookies policy](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/cookies-policy\/)\n- [Accessibility Statement](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/accessibility-statement\/)\n- [Advertise with us](https:\/\/go.future-advertising.com\/Spacecom-Media-Kit.html)\n- [Web notifications](https:\/\/www.space.com\/how-to-turn-off-web-notifications-for-chrome-macos.html)\n- [Careers](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/careers\/)\n- [Do not sell or share my personal information](https:\/\/www.space.com\/privacy-portal)\n\n© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.\n\nClose\n\nPlease login or signup to comment\n\nPlease wait...\n\nLogin\n\nSign Up","attrs_readable_markdown":"![The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jTVzX3HFWeZTNJJVtLESbU.jpg)\n\nThe Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow. (Image credit: EHT Collaboration)\n\n[Black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) have finally been dragged out of the shadows.\n\nFor the first time ever, humanity has photographed one of these elusive cosmic beasts, shining light on an exotic space-time realm that had long been beyond our ken.\n\n\"We have seen what we thought was unseeable,\" Sheperd Doeleman, of Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said today (April 10) during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.\n\n\"There's really a new field to explore,\" Peter Galison, a professor of physics and the history of science at Harvard, said in [an EHT talk last month](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope-is-trying-to-photograph-black-holes.html) at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. \"And that's ultimately what's so exciting about this.\"\n\nBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\\!\n\nGalison, who co-founded Harvard's interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative (BHI), compared the imagery's potential impact to that of the drawings made by English scientist Robert Hooke in the 1600s. These illustrations showed people what insects and plants look like through a microscope.\n\n\"It opened a world,\" Galison said of Hooke's work.\n\n## A telescope the size of Earth\nThe EHT is a consortium of more than 200 scientists that has been in the works for about two decades. It's a truly international endeavor; funding over the years has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation and many other organizations in countries around the world.\n\nThe project takes its name from a black hole's famed point of no return — the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the object's gravitational clutches.\n\n\"The [event horizon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html) is the ultimate prison wall,\" BHI founding director Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard's astronomy department, told Space.com. (Loeb is not part of the EHT team.) \"Once you're in, you can never get out.\"\n\nIt's therefore impossible to photograph the interior of a black hole, unless you somehow manage to get in there yourself. (You and your pictures couldn't make it back to the outside world, of course.)\n\nSo, the EHT images the event horizon, mapping out the black hole's dark silhouette. (The disk of fast-moving gas swirling around and into black holes emits lots of radiation, so such silhouettes stand out.)\n\n\"We're looking for the loss of photons,\" EHT science council member Dan Marrone, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, told Space.com.\n\nThe project has been scrutinizing two black holes — the M87 behemoth, which harbors about 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth's sun, and our own Milky Way galaxy's central black hole, known as [Sagittarius A\\*](https:\/\/www.space.com\/42317-milky-way-supermassive-black-hole-stuff-circling-drain.html). This latter object, while still a supermassive black hole, is a runt compared to M87's beast, containing a mere 4.3 million solar masses.\n\nBoth of these objects are tough targets because of their immense distance from Earth. Sagittarius A\\* lies about 26,000 light-years from us, and M87's black hole is a whopping 53.5 million light-years away.\n\nFrom our perspective, Sagittarius A\\*'s event horizon \"is so small that it's the equivalent of seeing an orange on the moon or being able to read the newspaper in Los Angeles while you're sitting in New York City,\" Doeleman said during the SXSW event last month.\n\nNo single telescope on Earth can make that observation, so Doeleman and the rest of the EHT team had to get creative. The researchers have linked up radio telescopes in Arizona, Spain, Mexico, Antarctica and other places around the world, forming a virtual instrument the size of Earth.\n\n**Related:** [**Images: Black Holes of the Universe**](https:\/\/www.space.com\/31-black-holes-universe.html)\n\n## So much data\nThe EHT team has used this megascope to study the two [supermassive black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/43091-supermassive-black-hole-formation-early-universe.html) for two weeklong stretches to date — once in April 2017 and again the following year. The new imagery comes from the first observing run.\n\nThere are good reasons why it's taken two years for the project's first result to come out. For one thing, each night of observing generated about 1 petabyte of data, resulting in such a haul that the team has to move its information from place to place the old-fashioned way.\n\n\"There's no way that we can transfer this data through the internet,\" EHT project scientist Dimitrios Psaltis, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said at the SXSW event. \"So, what we actually do is, we take our hard drives and we FedEx them from place to place. This is much faster than any cable that you can ever find.\"\n\nThis slows and complicates analysis, of course. Data from the EHT scope near the South Pole, for example, couldn't get off Antarctica until December 2017, when it was warm enough for planes to go in and out, Marrone said.\n\nCorrelating and calibrating the data was also tricky, he added. And the team took great care with this work, given the momentous nature of the find.\n\n\"If you're going to come with a big claim of imaging a black hole, you have to have big evidence, very strong evidence,\" Doeleman said at the SXSW event (which served as an explainer of the EHT effort but did not announce any results).\n\n\"And on our project, we often think that people like \\[Albert\\] Einstein, \\[Arthur\\] Eddington \\[and Karl\\] Schwarzschild are kind of looking over our shoulders,\" he added, referring to physicists who helped pioneer our understanding of black holes. \"And when you have luminaries kind of virtually checking your work, you really want to get it right.\"\n\n**Related:** [**The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe**](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15941-strangest-black-holes-universe-countdown.html)\n\n![A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/HaTBBocr2eSYZesTqsrKA.jpg)\n\nA simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole. (Image credit: University of Arizona)\n## What it all means\nThe EHT project has two main goals, Psaltis said: to image an event horizon for the first time ever and to help determine if [Einstein's theory of general relativity](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) needs any revisions.\n\nBefore Einstein came along, gravity was generally regarded as a mysterious force at a distance. But general relativity describes it as the warping of space-time: Massive objects such as planets, stars and black holes create a sort of sag in space-time, much as a bowling ball would if placed on a trampoline. Nearby objects follow this curve and get funneled toward the central mass.\n\nGeneral relativity has held up incredibly well over the century since its introduction, passing every test that scientists have thrown at it. But the EHT's observations provide another trial, in an extreme realm where predictions may not match reality. That's because astronomers can calculate the expected size and shape of an event horizon using general relativity, Psaltis explained.\n\nIf the observed silhouette matches the theory-informed simulations, \"then Einstein was 100% right,\" Psaltis said. \"If the answer is no, then we have to tweak his theory in order to make it work with experiments. This is how science goes.\"\n\nAnd we learned today that no tweaks are needed, at least at the moment: EHT's M87 observations are consistent with general relativity, team members said. Namely, the event horizon is nearly circular and is the \"right\" size for a black hole of that immense mass.\n\n\"I have to admit, I was a little stunned that it matched so closely the predictions that we had made,\" EHT team member Avery Broderick, of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, said during today's news conference.\n\nSuch ground-truthing is vital to the scientific process, of course. Indeed, providing better information to feed into theories and simulations will likely be one of the EHT's biggest contributions, Loeb said.\n\n\"Doing physics is a dialog with nature,\" he said. \"We test our ideas by comparing them to experiments; experimental data is crucial.\"\n\nThe new results should also help scientists get a better handle on black holes, he and other researchers said. For example, EHT imagery will likely shine significant light on how gas spirals down into a black hole's maw. This accretion process, which can lead to the generation of powerful jets of radiation, is poorly understood, Loeb said.\n\nIn addition, the shape of an event horizon can reveal whether a black hole is spinning, said Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, the principal investigator of NASA's black-hole-studying [Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array](https:\/\/www.space.com\/37182-nasa-nustar-black-hole-observatory-5-images-5-years.html) (NuSTAR) mission.\n\n\"We've inferred the spin of black holes indirectly,\" Harrison, who's not part of the EHT team, told Space.com. EHT imagery provides \"a direct test, which is very exciting,\" she added.\n\nEHT's data revealed the M87 black hole is spinning clockwise, team members said today.\n\nThe project should also show how matter is distributed around a black hole, and EHT observations could eventually teach astronomers a great deal about how supermassive black holes shape the evolution of their host galaxies over long time scales, Harrison said.\n\nEHT's results also mesh well with those of the [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory](https:\/\/www.space.com\/25423-ligo-gravitational-waves-observatory-photos.html) (LIGO), which has detected the space-time ripples generated by mergers involving black holes just a few dozen times more massive than the sun.\n\n\"Despite varying across a factor of billion in mass, known black holes are all consistent with a single description,\" Broderick said today. \"Black holes big and small are analogous in important ways. What we learn from one \\[type\\] necessarily applies to the other.\"\n\nAnd in case you're wondering about Sagittarius A\\*: The EHT team hopes to get imagery of that supermassive black hole soon, Doeleman said today. The researchers looked at M87 first, and it's a bit easier to resolve than Sagittarius A\\* because it's less variable over short timescales, he explained.\n\n## A new perspective?\nThen there's the broader appeal of the newly released imagery — how it speaks to those of us who aren't astrophysicists.\n\nThe contributions in this arena could be significant, EHT team members and outside scientists said. Photos can change the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, Marrone noted, citing the famous \"Earthrise\" photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in December 1968. This image, which gave the masses a glimpse of our planet as it really is — a lonely outpost of life in an infinite sea of darkness — is widely credited with helping to spur the environmental movement.\n\nSeeing a real-life black hole — or its silhouette, anyway — \"is the stuff of science fiction,\" Harrison said. And we've seen just the project's first few photos, she added: \"They're only going to get better.\"\n\n- [Astronomers to Peer into a Black Hole for 1st Time with Event Horizon Telescope](https:\/\/www.space.com\/36209-astronomers-will-peer-inside-black-event-horizon-telescope.html)\n- [This Huge Black Hole Is Spinning at Half the Speed of Light\\!](https:\/\/www.space.com\/42953-black-hole-spins-at-half-light-speed.html)\n- [8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15936-astronomy-mysteries-science-countdown.html)\n\n*Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, \"*[*Out There*](https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FOut-There-Scientific-Antimatter-Cosmically%2Fdp%2F1538729377%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-2738472146419429680-20)*\" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by*[*Karl Tate*](http:\/\/www.karltate.com\/)*), is out now. Follow him on Twitter* [*@michaeldwall*](http:\/\/twitter.com\/michaeldwall)*. Follow us on Twitter*[*@Spacedotcom*](http:\/\/twitter.com\/spacedotcom) *or*[*Facebook*](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/spacecom)*.*\n\n**Share your thoughts**\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\n0\n\nJoin the community\n\nJoin the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers.\n\nAlready have an account? Log in\n\nMy Details\n\nUpdate your details below...\n\nKeep in the Know\n\nWould you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners?\n\nValidate Your Mobile No.\n\nWe have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account.\n\nUpdate Your Mobile No.\n\nYou may enter a new mobile number below. You will be sent a verification code to the phone number you provide.\n\nembed-reactions.hint\\_heading\n\nembed-reactions.hint\\_subheading\n\nValidate Your Email Address\n\nWe have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account.\n\nUpdate Your Email Address\n\nYou may enter a new email address below. You will be sent a verification code to the address you provide.\n\nCreate a Username\n\nThis will be publicly viewable so make it something you like\\!\n\nReset your password\n\nEnter your email address below. If it is registered with us, we will email you a code that will allow you to reset your password.\n\nCheck your inbox\n\nIf your email address was found in our system, you should receive an email in the next few minutes containing a code. Enter that code below to reset your password.\n\nSet new password\n\nPlease enter your new password below.\n\nLeaderboard\n\n| Rank | Player | Score | Time |\n|---|---|---|---|\n\nMichael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for [Space.com](https:\/\/www.space.com\/) and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, \"Out There,\" was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/Science\":995,\"\/Science\/Astronomy\":975}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":995,\"\/Article\/News_Update\":969}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":999}","meta_language":"en","attrs_author":"Mike Wall","attrs_publish_time":1554903179,"attrs_original_publish_time":1554903179,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"4145","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"2224","body_ext_links_number":27,"body_int_links_number":151,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":1,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":940,"download_ttfb_msec":762,"download_size":252251}

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For the first time ever, humanity has photographed a black hole, shining light on an exotic realm that had long been beyond our ken.

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The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow. (Image credit: EHT Collaboration) Black holes have finally been dragged out of the shadows. For the first time ever, humanity has photographed one of these elusive cosmic beasts, shining light on an exotic space-time realm that had long been beyond our ken. "We have seen what we thought was unseeable," Sheperd Doeleman, of Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said today (April 10) during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "There's really a new field to explore," Peter Galison, a professor of physics and the history of science at Harvard, said in an EHT talk last month at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. "And that's ultimately what's so exciting about this." Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! Galison, who co-founded Harvard's interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative (BHI), compared the imagery's potential impact to that of the drawings made by English scientist Robert Hooke in the 1600s. These illustrations showed people what insects and plants look like through a microscope. "It opened a world," Galison said of Hooke's work. A telescope the size of Earth The EHT is a consortium of more than 200 scientists that has been in the works for about two decades. It's a truly international endeavor; funding over the years has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation and many other organizations in countries around the world. The project takes its name from a black hole's famed point of no return — the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the object's gravitational clutches. "The event horizon is the ultimate prison wall," BHI founding director Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard's astronomy department, told Space.com. (Loeb is not part of the EHT team.) "Once you're in, you can never get out." It's therefore impossible to photograph the interior of a black hole, unless you somehow manage to get in there yourself. (You and your pictures couldn't make it back to the outside world, of course.) So, the EHT images the event horizon, mapping out the black hole's dark silhouette. (The disk of fast-moving gas swirling around and into black holes emits lots of radiation, so such silhouettes stand out.) "We're looking for the loss of photons," EHT science council member Dan Marrone, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. The project has been scrutinizing two black holes — the M87 behemoth, which harbors about 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth's sun, and our own Milky Way galaxy's central black hole, known as Sagittarius A* . This latter object, while still a supermassive black hole, is a runt compared to M87's beast, containing a mere 4.3 million solar masses. Both of these objects are tough targets because of their immense distance from Earth. Sagittarius A* lies about 26,000 light-years from us, and M87's black hole is a whopping 53.5 million light-years away. From our perspective, Sagittarius A*'s event horizon "is so small that it's the equivalent of seeing an orange on the moon or being able to read the newspaper in Los Angeles while you're sitting in New York City," Doeleman said during the SXSW event last month. No single telescope on Earth can make that observation, so Doeleman and the rest of the EHT team had to get creative. The researchers have linked up radio telescopes in Arizona, Spain, Mexico, Antarctica and other places around the world, forming a virtual instrument the size of Earth. Related: Images: Black Holes of the Universe So much data The EHT team has used this megascope to study the two supermassive black holes for two weeklong stretches to date — once in April 2017 and again the following year. The new imagery comes from the first observing run. There are good reasons why it's taken two years for the project's first result to come out. For one thing, each night of observing generated about 1 petabyte of data, resulting in such a haul that the team has to move its information from place to place the old-fashioned way. "There's no way that we can transfer this data through the internet," EHT project scientist Dimitrios Psaltis, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said at the SXSW event. "So, what we actually do is, we take our hard drives and we FedEx them from place to place. This is much faster than any cable that you can ever find." This slows and complicates analysis, of course. Data from the EHT scope near the South Pole, for example, couldn't get off Antarctica until December 2017, when it was warm enough for planes to go in and out, Marrone said. Correlating and calibrating the data was also tricky, he added. And the team took great care with this work, given the momentous nature of the find. "If you're going to come with a big claim of imaging a black hole, you have to have big evidence, very strong evidence," Doeleman said at the SXSW event (which served as an explainer of the EHT effort but did not announce any results). "And on our project, we often think that people like [Albert] Einstein, [Arthur] Eddington [and Karl] Schwarzschild are kind of looking over our shoulders," he added, referring to physicists who helped pioneer our understanding of black holes. "And when you have luminaries kind of virtually checking your work, you really want to get it right." Related: The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole. (Image credit: University of Arizona) What it all means The EHT project has two main goals, Psaltis said: to image an event horizon for the first time ever and to help determine if Einstein's theory of general relativity needs any revisions. Before Einstein came along, gravity was generally regarded as a mysterious force at a distance. But general relativity describes it as the warping of space-time: Massive objects such as planets, stars and black holes create a sort of sag in space-time, much as a bowling ball would if placed on a trampoline. Nearby objects follow this curve and get funneled toward the central mass. General relativity has held up incredibly well over the century since its introduction, passing every test that scientists have thrown at it. But the EHT's observations provide another trial, in an extreme realm where predictions may not match reality. That's because astronomers can calculate the expected size and shape of an event horizon using general relativity, Psaltis explained. If the observed silhouette matches the theory-informed simulations, "then Einstein was 100% right," Psaltis said. "If the answer is no, then we have to tweak his theory in order to make it work with experiments. This is how science goes." And we learned today that no tweaks are needed, at least at the moment: EHT's M87 observations are consistent with general relativity, team members said. Namely, the event horizon is nearly circular and is the "right" size for a black hole of that immense mass. "I have to admit, I was a little stunned that it matched so closely the predictions that we had made," EHT team member Avery Broderick, of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, said during today's news conference. Such ground-truthing is vital to the scientific process, of course. Indeed, providing better information to feed into theories and simulations will likely be one of the EHT's biggest contributions, Loeb said. "Doing physics is a dialog with nature," he said. "We test our ideas by comparing them to experiments; experimental data is crucial." The new results should also help scientists get a better handle on black holes, he and other researchers said. For example, EHT imagery will likely shine significant light on how gas spirals down into a black hole's maw. This accretion process, which can lead to the generation of powerful jets of radiation, is poorly understood, Loeb said. In addition, the shape of an event horizon can reveal whether a black hole is spinning, said Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, the principal investigator of NASA's black-hole-studying Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission. "We've inferred the spin of black holes indirectly," Harrison, who's not part of the EHT team, told Space.com. EHT imagery provides "a direct test, which is very exciting," she added. EHT's data revealed the M87 black hole is spinning clockwise, team members said today. The project should also show how matter is distributed around a black hole, and EHT observations could eventually teach astronomers a great deal about how supermassive black holes shape the evolution of their host galaxies over long time scales, Harrison said. EHT's results also mesh well with those of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), which has detected the space-time ripples generated by mergers involving black holes just a few dozen times more massive than the sun. "Despite varying across a factor of billion in mass, known black holes are all consistent with a single description," Broderick said today. "Black holes big and small are analogous in important ways. What we learn from one [type] necessarily applies to the other." And in case you're wondering about Sagittarius A*: The EHT team hopes to get imagery of that supermassive black hole soon, Doeleman said today. The researchers looked at M87 first, and it's a bit easier to resolve than Sagittarius A* because it's less variable over short timescales, he explained. A new perspective? Then there's the broader appeal of the newly released imagery — how it speaks to those of us who aren't astrophysicists. The contributions in this arena could be significant, EHT team members and outside scientists said. Photos can change the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, Marrone noted, citing the famous "Earthrise" photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in December 1968. This image, which gave the masses a glimpse of our planet as it really is — a lonely outpost of life in an infinite sea of darkness — is widely credited with helping to spur the environmental movement. Seeing a real-life black hole — or its silhouette, anyway — "is the stuff of science fiction," Harrison said. And we've seen just the project's first few photos, she added: "They're only going to get better." Astronomers to Peer into a Black Hole for 1st Time with Event Horizon Telescope This Huge Black Hole Is Spinning at Half the Speed of Light! 8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, " Out There " (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate ), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall . Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook . Share your thoughts 0 0 0 0 Join the community Join the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers. Already have an account? Log in Log In Forgotten your password? Reset it Not got an account? Register My Details Update your details below... Keep in the Know Would you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners? Validate Your Mobile No. We have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account. 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Leaderboard Rank Player Score Time Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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[![A simulation of a vast area of the cosmos made using a supercomputer and based upon the standard model of cosmology.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CBnQfLVkEnrZgDpX4CvV95.png) Dark Universe How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/how-astronomers-are-unveiling-the-skeleton-of-the-universe "How astronomers are unveiling the 'skeleton' of the universe") [![An illustration of a pulsar lurking in Galactic Center close to the supermassive black hole Sgr A\*](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YR4dCMwPVVT2GNEvv6LHqb.png) Stars The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star](https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/the-milky-way-may-be-hiding-a-big-secret-at-its-heart-an-extremely-magnetic-dead-star "The Milky Way may be hiding a big secret at its heart: an extremely magnetic dead star") [![A cylinder-like shape with stars within. There\&\#039;s a glow toward the left and a grid pattern all around it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SmcBfLjCAEkg9NziAM9CuH.png) Astronomy How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/how-fast-is-the-universe-actually-expanding-ripples-in-spacetime-could-finally-solve-hubble-tension "How fast is the universe actually expanding? Ripples in spacetime could finally solve 'Hubble tension'") [![M87\* and its cosmic blowtorch-like jet as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hpLw8QjLxtFpwGinGSiYF7.png) Black Holes Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow "Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'") [![SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket debris burns up over Ingersleben, DE on Feb. 19, 2025.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E4Ad8EwVNgrMoigSdJvfzm.jpg) Launches & Spacecraft Scientists measure air pollution from reentering SpaceX rocket in real-time: 'It's never been done before'](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/scientists-measure-air-pollution-from-reentering-spacex-rocket-in-real-time-its-never-been-done-before "Scientists measure air pollution from reentering SpaceX rocket in real-time: 'It's never been done before'") Trending - [Artemis 2 LIVE: Moon mission updates](https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-updates-april-5-2026#mrfhud=true) - [Amazon Spring Sale space deals](https://www.space.com/technology/amazon-spring-sale-deals-for-stargazing-2026-huge-savings-on-telescopes-binoculars-and-cameras) - [Night sky tonight\!](https://www.space.com/news/live/night-sky-what-you-can-see-tonight-april-2) - [Aurora Forecast](https://www.space.com/live/aurora-forecast-northern-lights-possible-tonight-and-easter-weekend-april-2-6) - [Space Calendar](https://www.space.com/32286-space-calendar.html) - [Live 4K Sen video from space\!](https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/live-4k-video-from-space-see-earth-from-the-iss-with-sharp-eyed-sen-cameras) - [Best Drones](https://www.space.com/best-drones) - [Lego Star Wars deals](https://www.space.com/lego-star-wars-deals) - [Next Full Moon](https://www.space.com/16830-full-moon-calendar.html) - [Best Telescopes](https://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html) - [Solar System Planets](https://www.space.com/16080-solar-system-planets.html) - [Best Star Projectors](https://www.space.com/best-star-projectors) - [Best Binoculars](https://www.space.com/26021-best-binoculars.html) 1. [Astronomy](https://www.space.com/astronomy) 2. [Black Holes](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes) # Eureka! Scientists Photograph a Black Hole for the 1st Time [News](https://www.space.com/news) By [Mike Wall](https://www.space.com/author/mike-wall) published April 10, 2019 Black holes have finally been dragged out of the shadows. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Here’s how it works](https://www.space.com/41418-about-us.html#section-affiliate-advertising-disclosure). Click for next article ![The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jTVzX3HFWeZTNJJVtLESbU.jpg) The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow. 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You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful *** Want to add more newsletters? ![Daily Newsletter](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vfpcxVDrtfCysGSjzYjeSg.png) Delivered daily Daily Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\! Subscribe + ![Watch This Space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tjzmFi262iKuxrcCtSghKg.jpg) Once a month Watch This Space Sign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books. Subscribe + ![Night Sky This Week](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qsHaEcQ6H695rhBoNZdK5g.jpg) Once a week Night Sky This Week Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us\! Subscribe + ![Strange New Words](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mk2LrCm68RFHzQhNyQaH2Y.jpg) Twice a month Strange New Words Space.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans\! Subscribe + *** An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter [Black holes](https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) have finally been dragged out of the shadows. For the first time ever, humanity has photographed one of these elusive cosmic beasts, shining light on an exotic space-time realm that had long been beyond our ken. "We have seen what we thought was unseeable," Sheperd Doeleman, of Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said today (April 10) during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You may like - [![(Main) An illustration of the supermassive black hole M87\* (Inset) the NASA/JAXA mission XRISM](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7m3KGMqKhwNrKVJp48qVvT.png) NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/nasa-x-ray-spacecraft-stares-into-the-eye-of-the-storm-swirling-around-supermassive-black-holes) - [![M87\* and its cosmic blowtorch-like jet as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hpLw8QjLxtFpwGinGSiYF7.png) Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow) - [![Screenshot from a new NASA animation highlighting some of the universe\&\#039;s biggest black holes, including the record-holding TON 618, which is about as massive as 60 billion suns.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LonKAe8kapjmivFoVTBLRX.jpeg) James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes](https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-data-backs-new-origin-story-for-the-universes-1st-supermassive-black-holes) **Related:** [**What Exactly Is a Black Hole Event Horizon (and What Happens There)?**](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html) Doeleman directs the [Event Horizon Telescope](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope-is-trying-to-photograph-black-holes.html) (EHT) project, which captured the epic imagery. These four photos, which were unveiled today at press events around the world and in a series of published papers, outline the contours of the monster black hole lurking at the heart of the elliptical galaxy M87. The imagery is mind-blowing enough in its own right. But even more significant is the trail the new results will likely blaze, researchers said. "There's really a new field to explore," Peter Galison, a professor of physics and the history of science at Harvard, said in [an EHT talk last month](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope-is-trying-to-photograph-black-holes.html) at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. "And that's ultimately what's so exciting about this." Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\! By signing up, you agree to our [Terms of services](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/) and acknowledge that you have read our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/). You also agree to receive marketing emails from us that may include promotions from our trusted partners and sponsors, which you can unsubscribe from at any time. Galison, who co-founded Harvard's interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative (BHI), compared the imagery's potential impact to that of the drawings made by English scientist Robert Hooke in the 1600s. These illustrations showed people what insects and plants look like through a microscope. "It opened a world," Galison said of Hooke's work. [Click here for more Space.com videos...](https://videos.space.com/m/bMS8JtGr/how-to-photograph-a-black-hole-event-horizon-telescope-explained?list=9wzCTV4g) ## A telescope the size of Earth The EHT is a consortium of more than 200 scientists that has been in the works for about two decades. It's a truly international endeavor; funding over the years has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation and many other organizations in countries around the world. What to read next - [![A illustration of a tidal disruption event in which a star is devoured by a black hole](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ziLUfcpZKdNodG7ttnHh3e.png) Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/scientists-may-have-found-a-missing-link-black-hole-ripping-up-and-devouring-a-star) - [![An illustration shows dark matter powering the heart of a spiral galaxy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/69kRCSZKQ5H5nddwqCTGR3.png) Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/could-the-milky-way-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-actually-be-a-clump-of-dark-matter) - [![Images of the twisted jet of matter OJ287 erupting from a distant black hole as seen by the EHT](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tgMzuuacJWYAtq6kqNFh8J.png) Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-2-supermassive-black-holes-caught-in-a-twisted-dance-with-never-before-seen-jet-behavior) The project takes its name from a black hole's famed point of no return — the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the object's gravitational clutches. "The [event horizon](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html) is the ultimate prison wall," BHI founding director Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard's astronomy department, told Space.com. (Loeb is not part of the EHT team.) "Once you're in, you can never get out." It's therefore impossible to photograph the interior of a black hole, unless you somehow manage to get in there yourself. (You and your pictures couldn't make it back to the outside world, of course.) So, the EHT images the event horizon, mapping out the black hole's dark silhouette. (The disk of fast-moving gas swirling around and into black holes emits lots of radiation, so such silhouettes stand out.) "We're looking for the loss of photons," EHT science council member Dan Marrone, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. The project has been scrutinizing two black holes — the M87 behemoth, which harbors about 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth's sun, and our own Milky Way galaxy's central black hole, known as [Sagittarius A\*](https://www.space.com/42317-milky-way-supermassive-black-hole-stuff-circling-drain.html). This latter object, while still a supermassive black hole, is a runt compared to M87's beast, containing a mere 4.3 million solar masses. Both of these objects are tough targets because of their immense distance from Earth. Sagittarius A\* lies about 26,000 light-years from us, and M87's black hole is a whopping 53.5 million light-years away. From our perspective, Sagittarius A\*'s event horizon "is so small that it's the equivalent of seeing an orange on the moon or being able to read the newspaper in Los Angeles while you're sitting in New York City," Doeleman said during the SXSW event last month. No single telescope on Earth can make that observation, so Doeleman and the rest of the EHT team had to get creative. The researchers have linked up radio telescopes in Arizona, Spain, Mexico, Antarctica and other places around the world, forming a virtual instrument the size of Earth. **Related:** [**Images: Black Holes of the Universe**](https://www.space.com/31-black-holes-universe.html) [Click here for more Space.com videos...](https://videos.space.com/m/mT90GSQM/event-horizon-telescope-aims-to-capture-black-hole-photo?list=9wzCTV4g) ## So much data The EHT team has used this megascope to study the two [supermassive black holes](https://www.space.com/43091-supermassive-black-hole-formation-early-universe.html) for two weeklong stretches to date — once in April 2017 and again the following year. The new imagery comes from the first observing run. There are good reasons why it's taken two years for the project's first result to come out. For one thing, each night of observing generated about 1 petabyte of data, resulting in such a haul that the team has to move its information from place to place the old-fashioned way. "There's no way that we can transfer this data through the internet," EHT project scientist Dimitrios Psaltis, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said at the SXSW event. "So, what we actually do is, we take our hard drives and we FedEx them from place to place. This is much faster than any cable that you can ever find." This slows and complicates analysis, of course. Data from the EHT scope near the South Pole, for example, couldn't get off Antarctica until December 2017, when it was warm enough for planes to go in and out, Marrone said. Correlating and calibrating the data was also tricky, he added. And the team took great care with this work, given the momentous nature of the find. "If you're going to come with a big claim of imaging a black hole, you have to have big evidence, very strong evidence," Doeleman said at the SXSW event (which served as an explainer of the EHT effort but did not announce any results). "And on our project, we often think that people like \[Albert\] Einstein, \[Arthur\] Eddington \[and Karl\] Schwarzschild are kind of looking over our shoulders," he added, referring to physicists who helped pioneer our understanding of black holes. "And when you have luminaries kind of virtually checking your work, you really want to get it right." **Related:** [**The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe**](https://www.space.com/15941-strangest-black-holes-universe-countdown.html) ![A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HaTBBocr2eSYZesTqsrKA.jpg) A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole. (Image credit: University of Arizona) ## What it all means The EHT project has two main goals, Psaltis said: to image an event horizon for the first time ever and to help determine if [Einstein's theory of general relativity](https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) needs any revisions. Before Einstein came along, gravity was generally regarded as a mysterious force at a distance. But general relativity describes it as the warping of space-time: Massive objects such as planets, stars and black holes create a sort of sag in space-time, much as a bowling ball would if placed on a trampoline. Nearby objects follow this curve and get funneled toward the central mass. General relativity has held up incredibly well over the century since its introduction, passing every test that scientists have thrown at it. But the EHT's observations provide another trial, in an extreme realm where predictions may not match reality. That's because astronomers can calculate the expected size and shape of an event horizon using general relativity, Psaltis explained. If the observed silhouette matches the theory-informed simulations, "then Einstein was 100% right," Psaltis said. "If the answer is no, then we have to tweak his theory in order to make it work with experiments. This is how science goes." And we learned today that no tweaks are needed, at least at the moment: EHT's M87 observations are consistent with general relativity, team members said. Namely, the event horizon is nearly circular and is the "right" size for a black hole of that immense mass. "I have to admit, I was a little stunned that it matched so closely the predictions that we had made," EHT team member Avery Broderick, of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, said during today's news conference. [Click here for more Space.com videos...](https://videos.space.com/m/Jk3aNiek/black-hole-image-explained-by-theoretical-physicist?list=9wzCTV4g) Such ground-truthing is vital to the scientific process, of course. Indeed, providing better information to feed into theories and simulations will likely be one of the EHT's biggest contributions, Loeb said. "Doing physics is a dialog with nature," he said. "We test our ideas by comparing them to experiments; experimental data is crucial." The new results should also help scientists get a better handle on black holes, he and other researchers said. For example, EHT imagery will likely shine significant light on how gas spirals down into a black hole's maw. This accretion process, which can lead to the generation of powerful jets of radiation, is poorly understood, Loeb said. In addition, the shape of an event horizon can reveal whether a black hole is spinning, said Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, the principal investigator of NASA's black-hole-studying [Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array](https://www.space.com/37182-nasa-nustar-black-hole-observatory-5-images-5-years.html) (NuSTAR) mission. "We've inferred the spin of black holes indirectly," Harrison, who's not part of the EHT team, told Space.com. EHT imagery provides "a direct test, which is very exciting," she added. EHT's data revealed the M87 black hole is spinning clockwise, team members said today. The project should also show how matter is distributed around a black hole, and EHT observations could eventually teach astronomers a great deal about how supermassive black holes shape the evolution of their host galaxies over long time scales, Harrison said. EHT's results also mesh well with those of the [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory](https://www.space.com/25423-ligo-gravitational-waves-observatory-photos.html) (LIGO), which has detected the space-time ripples generated by mergers involving black holes just a few dozen times more massive than the sun. "Despite varying across a factor of billion in mass, known black holes are all consistent with a single description," Broderick said today. "Black holes big and small are analogous in important ways. What we learn from one \[type\] necessarily applies to the other." And in case you're wondering about Sagittarius A\*: The EHT team hopes to get imagery of that supermassive black hole soon, Doeleman said today. The researchers looked at M87 first, and it's a bit easier to resolve than Sagittarius A\* because it's less variable over short timescales, he explained. [Click here for more Space.com videos...](https://videos.space.com/m/0gEcwi00/first-ever-black-hole-image-released?list=9wzCTV4g) ## A new perspective? Then there's the broader appeal of the newly released imagery — how it speaks to those of us who aren't astrophysicists. The contributions in this arena could be significant, EHT team members and outside scientists said. Photos can change the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, Marrone noted, citing the famous "Earthrise" photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in December 1968. This image, which gave the masses a glimpse of our planet as it really is — a lonely outpost of life in an infinite sea of darkness — is widely credited with helping to spur the environmental movement. Seeing a real-life black hole — or its silhouette, anyway — "is the stuff of science fiction," Harrison said. And we've seen just the project's first few photos, she added: "They're only going to get better." - [Astronomers to Peer into a Black Hole for 1st Time with Event Horizon Telescope](https://www.space.com/36209-astronomers-will-peer-inside-black-event-horizon-telescope.html) - [This Huge Black Hole Is Spinning at Half the Speed of Light\!](https://www.space.com/42953-black-hole-spins-at-half-light-speed.html) - [8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries](https://www.space.com/15936-astronomy-mysteries-science-countdown.html) *Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "*[*Out There*](https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FOut-There-Scientific-Antimatter-Cosmically%2Fdp%2F1538729377%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-2738472146419429680-20)*" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by*[*Karl Tate*](http://www.karltate.com/)*), is out now. Follow him on Twitter* [*@michaeldwall*](http://twitter.com/michaeldwall)*. Follow us on Twitter*[*@Spacedotcom*](http://twitter.com/spacedotcom) *or*[*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/spacecom)*.* **Share your thoughts** 0 0 0 0 Random QuizPlay a Random Quiz Filter by Category Join the community Join the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers. I'm in\! Not right now Already have an account? Log in This page will close automatically once you have completed the authorisation process My Details Update your details below... Keep in the Know Would you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners? OK Validate Your Mobile No. We have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account. Update Your Mobile No. You may enter a new mobile number below. 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Leaderboard | Rank | Player | Score | Time | |---|---|---|---| Log In or Register More Quizzes Log Out ![Mike Wall](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ko9uBeoLfpGrWgq3eDjap3.jpg) [Mike Wall](https://www.space.com/author/mike-wall) Social Links Navigation Spaceflight and Tech Editor Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for [Space.com](https://www.space.com/) and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter. Read more [![(Main) An illustration of the supermassive black hole M87\* (Inset) the NASA/JAXA mission XRISM](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7m3KGMqKhwNrKVJp48qVvT.png) Black Holes NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/nasa-x-ray-spacecraft-stares-into-the-eye-of-the-storm-swirling-around-supermassive-black-holes "NASA X-ray spacecraft stares into the 'eye of the storm' swirling around supermassive black holes") [![M87\* and its cosmic blowtorch-like jet as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hpLw8QjLxtFpwGinGSiYF7.png) Black Holes Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-1st-black-hole-ever-imaged-launch-a-3-000-light-year-long-cosmic-jet-from-its-glowing-shadow "Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'") [![Screenshot from a new NASA animation highlighting some of the universe\&\#039;s biggest black holes, including the record-holding TON 618, which is about as massive as 60 billion suns.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LonKAe8kapjmivFoVTBLRX.jpeg) James Webb Space Telescope James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes](https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-data-backs-new-origin-story-for-the-universes-1st-supermassive-black-holes "James Webb Space Telescope reveals new origin story for the universe's 1st supermassive black holes") [![A illustration of a tidal disruption event in which a star is devoured by a black hole](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ziLUfcpZKdNodG7ttnHh3e.png) Black Holes Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/scientists-may-have-found-a-missing-link-black-hole-ripping-up-and-devouring-a-star "Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star") [![An illustration shows dark matter powering the heart of a spiral galaxy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/69kRCSZKQ5H5nddwqCTGR3.png) Dark Universe Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?](https://www.space.com/astronomy/dark-universe/could-the-milky-way-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-actually-be-a-clump-of-dark-matter "Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?") [![Images of the twisted jet of matter OJ287 erupting from a distant black hole as seen by the EHT](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tgMzuuacJWYAtq6kqNFh8J.png) Black Holes Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-2-supermassive-black-holes-caught-in-a-twisted-dance-with-never-before-seen-jet-behavior "Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior") Latest in Black Holes [![A black circle in the center of the illustration surrounded by swirling glowing patterns spiraling outward from it. The left side is colored red while the right side is colored purple.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JjhmXS8mFkbE5qXSnb8ggA.png) Black Holes Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/could-our-universe-exist-because-black-holes-ate-up-all-the-antimatter "Could our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter?") [![An illustration of the supermassive black hole IRAS 05189-2524 which the XRISM spacecraft watched spring back to life](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EfPEznfetDrGHyxBc9hwwQ.png) Black Holes X-ray spacecraft watches monster black hole wake up and fire cosmic bullets at starburst galaxy](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/x-ray-spacecraft-watches-monster-black-hole-wake-up-and-fire-cosmic-bullets-at-starburst-galaxy "X-ray spacecraft watches monster black hole wake up and fire cosmic bullets at starburst galaxy") [![ Illustration of an eccentric neutron star–black hole binary. The neutron star’s path is shown in blue and the black hole’s motion in orange as the two objects orbit each other.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EmaYyXsYbtCknzr4JwN2JD.png) Black Holes Black hole and neutron star mergers push the laws of physics with their odd orbits](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/black-hole-and-neutron-star-mergers-push-the-laws-of-physics-with-their-odd-orbits "Black hole and neutron star mergers push the laws of physics with their odd orbits") [![An illustration of colliding black holes setting the fabric of space ringing with gravitational waves.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AU4KyD58keEkWydH4ooKJh.png) Black Holes The universe is humming with ripples in spacetime: Scientists just doubled our catalog of black hole and neutron star collisions](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/the-universe-is-humming-with-ripples-in-spacetime-scientists-just-doubled-our-catalog-of-black-hole-and-neutron-star-collisions "The universe is humming with ripples in spacetime: Scientists just doubled our catalog of black hole and neutron star collisions") [![An image showing blobs of yellow and purple light with insets of illustrations showing what these blobs could represent.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BdHb23dnDCzfjWzeVfdgyC.png) Black Holes Black holes! Supernovas! Merging galaxies! Oh my! Largest radio survey of the cosmos ever reveals 13.7 million powerful cosmic objects and events](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/black-holes-supernovas-merging-galaxies-oh-my-largest-radio-survey-of-the-cosmos-ever-reveals-13-7-million-powerful-cosmic-objects-and-events "Black holes! Supernovas! Merging galaxies! Oh my! Largest radio survey of the cosmos ever reveals 13.7 million powerful cosmic objects and events") [![An illustration of two black circles in the center of the screen separated by a red dot. There\&\#039;s a glowing blue circle around both black circles and a red semi-circle at the bottom.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VAGT8xLGFWzj5UeRpR7pEe.png) Black Holes Starlight warped in the fabric of spacetime could help us find hidden black holes dancing together](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/starlight-warped-in-the-fabric-of-spacetime-could-help-us-find-hidden-black-holes-dancing-together "Starlight warped in the fabric of spacetime could help us find hidden black holes dancing together") Latest in News [![The Artemis 2 crew took this photo on April 4, 2026, Day 4 of their journey to the moon. The moon is oriented with the south pole at the top. Orientale Basin is on the right edge of the lunar disk in this image. Artemis 2 marks the first time that humans have seen the entire basin. The astronauts will continue to observe Orientale from multiple angles as they approach the moon and throughout the lunar flyby. Orientale is the textbook multi-ring impact basin used as a baseline to compare other impact craters on rocky worlds from Mercury to Pluto.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oVuH9LJDfhPZqkCkanSFrY.jpg) Artemis When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-from-your-orion-ship-up-high-thats-a-mare "When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2") [![Two images with a view of an NASA Orion spacecraft on left and space toilet on right.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XhYwpeuFZFXywkGEqVuReJ.png) Artemis The breakout star of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission isn't an astronaut — it's the space toilet](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/the-breakout-star-of-nasas-artemis-2-mission-to-the-moon-isnt-an-astronaut-its-the-space-toilet "The breakout star of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission isn't an astronaut — it's the space toilet") [![Screenshot from a NASA animation showing the final stages of the solar ecliipse that Artemis 2 astronauts will see from their vantage point beyond the moon on April 6, 2026. The sun is starting to emerge from the moon\&\#039;s left limb.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hAVR2rPXCZEqW2s3GY9DDQ.jpg) Artemis Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-astronauts-are-about-to-see-one-of-the-rarest-skywatching-sights-of-all-a-solar-eclipse-from-beyond-the-moon "Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon") [![Artemis 2 astronaut Victor Glover (with microphone) delivers an impromptu Easter message on the way to the moon on April 4, 2026.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9dAQ2oiV5gZPbgrbSEwMyj.jpg) Artemis This is the inspiring Easter message an Artemis 2 astronaut has for Earth while traveling to the moon (video)](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-astronaut-victor-glover-delivers-inspiring-easter-message-on-the-way-to-the-moon-video "This is the inspiring Easter message an Artemis 2 astronaut has for Earth while traveling to the moon (video)") [![The Orion spacecraft with NASA logos visible on the way to the moon on Artemis 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nZFVXCS7B7M7mpBbEnmZyb.jpg) Artemis Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-astronauts-now-halfway-to-the-moon-report-burning-smell-from-toilet-but-everythings-fine "Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine") [![Taken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon, with astronauts Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell aboard.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QmSgRCb5z62ZVgjdeDyDrB.jpg) Artemis Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-will-try-to-recreate-apollo-8s-historic-earthrise-photo-during-april-6-flyby "Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby") MORE FROM SPACE... 1. [![view of the full, big disk of the moon taken by the Artemis 2 astronauts](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oVuH9LJDfhPZqkCkanSFrY.jpg)](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-from-your-orion-ship-up-high-thats-a-mare "When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2") 1 [When the moon hits your eye from your Orion ship up high, that's a 'mare' for Artemis 2](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-from-your-orion-ship-up-high-thats-a-mare) 2. 2 [Artemis 2 astronauts are about to see one of the rarest skywatching sights of all — a solar eclipse from beyond the moon](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-astronauts-are-about-to-see-one-of-the-rarest-skywatching-sights-of-all-a-solar-eclipse-from-beyond-the-moon) 3. 3 [The breakout star of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission isn't an astronaut — it's the space toilet](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/the-breakout-star-of-nasas-artemis-2-mission-to-the-moon-isnt-an-astronaut-its-the-space-toilet) 4. 4 [The powerful new Rubin Observatory just found 11,000 new asteroids and measured 'tens of thousands more'](https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/the-powerful-new-rubin-observatory-just-found-11-000-new-asteroids-and-measured-tens-of-thousands-more) 5. 5 [Artemis 2 moon astronauts will try to recreate Apollo 8's historic 'Earthrise' photo during April 6 flyby](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/artemis-2-moon-astronauts-will-try-to-recreate-apollo-8s-historic-earthrise-photo-during-april-6-flyby) Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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![The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jTVzX3HFWeZTNJJVtLESbU.jpg) The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this image of the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M87 and its shadow. (Image credit: EHT Collaboration) [Black holes](https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) have finally been dragged out of the shadows. For the first time ever, humanity has photographed one of these elusive cosmic beasts, shining light on an exotic space-time realm that had long been beyond our ken. "We have seen what we thought was unseeable," Sheperd Doeleman, of Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said today (April 10) during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "There's really a new field to explore," Peter Galison, a professor of physics and the history of science at Harvard, said in [an EHT talk last month](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope-is-trying-to-photograph-black-holes.html) at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. "And that's ultimately what's so exciting about this." Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more\! Galison, who co-founded Harvard's interdisciplinary Black Hole Initiative (BHI), compared the imagery's potential impact to that of the drawings made by English scientist Robert Hooke in the 1600s. These illustrations showed people what insects and plants look like through a microscope. "It opened a world," Galison said of Hooke's work. ## A telescope the size of Earth The EHT is a consortium of more than 200 scientists that has been in the works for about two decades. It's a truly international endeavor; funding over the years has come from the U.S. National Science Foundation and many other organizations in countries around the world. The project takes its name from a black hole's famed point of no return — the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the object's gravitational clutches. "The [event horizon](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html) is the ultimate prison wall," BHI founding director Avi Loeb, the chair of Harvard's astronomy department, told Space.com. (Loeb is not part of the EHT team.) "Once you're in, you can never get out." It's therefore impossible to photograph the interior of a black hole, unless you somehow manage to get in there yourself. (You and your pictures couldn't make it back to the outside world, of course.) So, the EHT images the event horizon, mapping out the black hole's dark silhouette. (The disk of fast-moving gas swirling around and into black holes emits lots of radiation, so such silhouettes stand out.) "We're looking for the loss of photons," EHT science council member Dan Marrone, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. The project has been scrutinizing two black holes — the M87 behemoth, which harbors about 6.5 billion times the mass of Earth's sun, and our own Milky Way galaxy's central black hole, known as [Sagittarius A\*](https://www.space.com/42317-milky-way-supermassive-black-hole-stuff-circling-drain.html). This latter object, while still a supermassive black hole, is a runt compared to M87's beast, containing a mere 4.3 million solar masses. Both of these objects are tough targets because of their immense distance from Earth. Sagittarius A\* lies about 26,000 light-years from us, and M87's black hole is a whopping 53.5 million light-years away. From our perspective, Sagittarius A\*'s event horizon "is so small that it's the equivalent of seeing an orange on the moon or being able to read the newspaper in Los Angeles while you're sitting in New York City," Doeleman said during the SXSW event last month. No single telescope on Earth can make that observation, so Doeleman and the rest of the EHT team had to get creative. The researchers have linked up radio telescopes in Arizona, Spain, Mexico, Antarctica and other places around the world, forming a virtual instrument the size of Earth. **Related:** [**Images: Black Holes of the Universe**](https://www.space.com/31-black-holes-universe.html) ## So much data The EHT team has used this megascope to study the two [supermassive black holes](https://www.space.com/43091-supermassive-black-hole-formation-early-universe.html) for two weeklong stretches to date — once in April 2017 and again the following year. The new imagery comes from the first observing run. There are good reasons why it's taken two years for the project's first result to come out. For one thing, each night of observing generated about 1 petabyte of data, resulting in such a haul that the team has to move its information from place to place the old-fashioned way. "There's no way that we can transfer this data through the internet," EHT project scientist Dimitrios Psaltis, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said at the SXSW event. "So, what we actually do is, we take our hard drives and we FedEx them from place to place. This is much faster than any cable that you can ever find." This slows and complicates analysis, of course. Data from the EHT scope near the South Pole, for example, couldn't get off Antarctica until December 2017, when it was warm enough for planes to go in and out, Marrone said. Correlating and calibrating the data was also tricky, he added. And the team took great care with this work, given the momentous nature of the find. "If you're going to come with a big claim of imaging a black hole, you have to have big evidence, very strong evidence," Doeleman said at the SXSW event (which served as an explainer of the EHT effort but did not announce any results). "And on our project, we often think that people like \[Albert\] Einstein, \[Arthur\] Eddington \[and Karl\] Schwarzschild are kind of looking over our shoulders," he added, referring to physicists who helped pioneer our understanding of black holes. "And when you have luminaries kind of virtually checking your work, you really want to get it right." **Related:** [**The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe**](https://www.space.com/15941-strangest-black-holes-universe-countdown.html) ![A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HaTBBocr2eSYZesTqsrKA.jpg) A simulated image by the University of Arizona shows the turbulent plasma in the extreme environment around a supermassive black hole. (Image credit: University of Arizona) ## What it all means The EHT project has two main goals, Psaltis said: to image an event horizon for the first time ever and to help determine if [Einstein's theory of general relativity](https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) needs any revisions. Before Einstein came along, gravity was generally regarded as a mysterious force at a distance. But general relativity describes it as the warping of space-time: Massive objects such as planets, stars and black holes create a sort of sag in space-time, much as a bowling ball would if placed on a trampoline. Nearby objects follow this curve and get funneled toward the central mass. General relativity has held up incredibly well over the century since its introduction, passing every test that scientists have thrown at it. But the EHT's observations provide another trial, in an extreme realm where predictions may not match reality. That's because astronomers can calculate the expected size and shape of an event horizon using general relativity, Psaltis explained. If the observed silhouette matches the theory-informed simulations, "then Einstein was 100% right," Psaltis said. "If the answer is no, then we have to tweak his theory in order to make it work with experiments. This is how science goes." And we learned today that no tweaks are needed, at least at the moment: EHT's M87 observations are consistent with general relativity, team members said. Namely, the event horizon is nearly circular and is the "right" size for a black hole of that immense mass. "I have to admit, I was a little stunned that it matched so closely the predictions that we had made," EHT team member Avery Broderick, of the University of Waterloo and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, said during today's news conference. Such ground-truthing is vital to the scientific process, of course. Indeed, providing better information to feed into theories and simulations will likely be one of the EHT's biggest contributions, Loeb said. "Doing physics is a dialog with nature," he said. "We test our ideas by comparing them to experiments; experimental data is crucial." The new results should also help scientists get a better handle on black holes, he and other researchers said. For example, EHT imagery will likely shine significant light on how gas spirals down into a black hole's maw. This accretion process, which can lead to the generation of powerful jets of radiation, is poorly understood, Loeb said. In addition, the shape of an event horizon can reveal whether a black hole is spinning, said Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology, the principal investigator of NASA's black-hole-studying [Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array](https://www.space.com/37182-nasa-nustar-black-hole-observatory-5-images-5-years.html) (NuSTAR) mission. "We've inferred the spin of black holes indirectly," Harrison, who's not part of the EHT team, told Space.com. EHT imagery provides "a direct test, which is very exciting," she added. EHT's data revealed the M87 black hole is spinning clockwise, team members said today. The project should also show how matter is distributed around a black hole, and EHT observations could eventually teach astronomers a great deal about how supermassive black holes shape the evolution of their host galaxies over long time scales, Harrison said. EHT's results also mesh well with those of the [Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory](https://www.space.com/25423-ligo-gravitational-waves-observatory-photos.html) (LIGO), which has detected the space-time ripples generated by mergers involving black holes just a few dozen times more massive than the sun. "Despite varying across a factor of billion in mass, known black holes are all consistent with a single description," Broderick said today. "Black holes big and small are analogous in important ways. What we learn from one \[type\] necessarily applies to the other." And in case you're wondering about Sagittarius A\*: The EHT team hopes to get imagery of that supermassive black hole soon, Doeleman said today. The researchers looked at M87 first, and it's a bit easier to resolve than Sagittarius A\* because it's less variable over short timescales, he explained. ## A new perspective? Then there's the broader appeal of the newly released imagery — how it speaks to those of us who aren't astrophysicists. The contributions in this arena could be significant, EHT team members and outside scientists said. Photos can change the way we think about ourselves and our place in the universe, Marrone noted, citing the famous "Earthrise" photo taken by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in December 1968. This image, which gave the masses a glimpse of our planet as it really is — a lonely outpost of life in an infinite sea of darkness — is widely credited with helping to spur the environmental movement. Seeing a real-life black hole — or its silhouette, anyway — "is the stuff of science fiction," Harrison said. And we've seen just the project's first few photos, she added: "They're only going to get better." - [Astronomers to Peer into a Black Hole for 1st Time with Event Horizon Telescope](https://www.space.com/36209-astronomers-will-peer-inside-black-event-horizon-telescope.html) - [This Huge Black Hole Is Spinning at Half the Speed of Light\!](https://www.space.com/42953-black-hole-spins-at-half-light-speed.html) - [8 Baffling Astronomy Mysteries](https://www.space.com/15936-astronomy-mysteries-science-countdown.html) *Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "*[*Out There*](https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FOut-There-Scientific-Antimatter-Cosmically%2Fdp%2F1538729377%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-2738472146419429680-20)*" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by*[*Karl Tate*](http://www.karltate.com/)*), is out now. Follow him on Twitter* [*@michaeldwall*](http://twitter.com/michaeldwall)*. Follow us on Twitter*[*@Spacedotcom*](http://twitter.com/spacedotcom) *or*[*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/spacecom)*.* **Share your thoughts** 0 0 0 0 Join the community Join the Space.com Family! The best way to keep in touch and to be informed of our latest quizzes and competitions, as well as news and offers. Already have an account? Log in My Details Update your details below... Keep in the Know Would you like to be kept informed about new quizzes and offers from Future and its partners? Validate Your Mobile No. We have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account. Update Your Mobile No. You may enter a new mobile number below. You will be sent a verification code to the phone number you provide. embed-reactions.hint\_heading embed-reactions.hint\_subheading Validate Your Email Address We have sent a code to . Please enter it below to verify your account. Update Your Email Address You may enter a new email address below. You will be sent a verification code to the address you provide. Create a Username This will be publicly viewable so make it something you like\! Reset your password Enter your email address below. If it is registered with us, we will email you a code that will allow you to reset your password. Check your inbox If your email address was found in our system, you should receive an email in the next few minutes containing a code. Enter that code below to reset your password. Set new password Please enter your new password below. Leaderboard | Rank | Player | Score | Time | |---|---|---|---| Michael Wall is the Spaceflight and Tech Editor for [Space.com](https://www.space.com/) and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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Content Metadata

Language

Author

Mike Wall

Publish Time

2019-04-10 13:32:59 (7 years ago)

Original Publish Time

2019-04-10 13:32:59 (7 years ago)

Republished

Word Count (Total)

4,145

Word Count (Content)

2,224

Links

External Links

Internal Links

151

Technical SEO

Meta Nofollow

Meta Noarchive

JS Rendered

Yes

Redirect Target

null

Performance

Download Time (ms)

940

TTFB (ms)

762

Download Size (bytes)

252,251

Shard

8 (laksa)

Root Hash

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Unparsed URL

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