🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 8 (from laksa111)

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 FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures","crawl_time":1775638117,"first_indexed_time":1652394754,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,space!www,\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures s443","src_root_hash":"7770394665477845008","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Sagittarius A*: 1st photo of Milky Way black hole in images | Space","meta_descriptions":["See the first photo of the Milky Way's black hole Sagittarius A* and how it was made."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"On May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. \nThe image was taken in submillimeter radio waves, revealing there is indeed a \nblack hole\n embedded in the heart of the \nMilky Way\n, eating on any hydrogen gas available. The image was also a massive technological breakthrough after years of attempting to capture Sgr A*, which is much smaller than M87.\nClick the arrows above to learn more about how the black hole discovery was made.\nSagittarius A*\n, pronounced \"Sagittarius A star,\" is a supermassive black hole located at the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2008, astronomers\nReinhard Genzel\nand Andrea Ghez showed that Sagittarius A* has a mass 4.3 million times that of the sun. \nBut the black hole, large as it is, is relatively small compared with the Milky Way. The diameter of the\nsupermassive black hole \nis around 14.6 million miles (23.5 million kilometers) , but the Milky Way itself is 100,000 light-years wide and 1,000 light-years thick. \nThe\nEvent Horizon Telescope Collaboration\nis a multinational research project that images black holes. The collaboration has over 200 scientists and engineers working with telescopes around the world. Working groups include such aspects as instrumentation, data collection and processing, data analysis, products, publications and other specialties. \nThe \"\nevent horizon\n\" of the Event Horizon Telescope name refers to the boundary  of a black hole from which no radiation (including light) may escape. Einstein's\ntheory of general relativity\nalso predicts black holes have a zone of no escape for photons.\nThe EHT\nuses radio telescopes around the world\nto image black holes, bringing in such locations as the South Pole, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The observatories all look at the same target at the same time, collecting data in slightly different formats. This observing technique allows the numerous telescopes to act like a unified, large telescope that, ideally, magnifies distant and dim objects. \nIn 2019. the EHT captured the\nevent horizon of M87\n, showing the silhouette of the black hole in high detail. It shows up so brightly because the gas trapped in a swirl around the black hole creates a lot of radiation. (The radiation inside the black hole is of course, invisible since it is beyond the event horizon.)\nThe polarized view \"tells us that the emission in the ring is most certainly produced by magnetic fields that are located very close to the event horizon,\" Monika Moscibrodzka, coordinator of the EHT Polarimetry Working Group and assistant professor at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands, told Space.com in 2021.\nTo understand the bizarre physics of the environment of Sgr A*, the imaging team used tools and models to measure the properties that were observed. They also developed more simplified models \"that we can fit directly to the EHT data,\" Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist Michael Johnson told reporters after the black hole's imaging was announced on May 12, 2022.\n\"This is a different approach than imaging,\" Johnson said. \"It gives us a different perspective, and it lets us understand the systematic biases of both methods because these simple models are easier to constrain with very limited data.\"\nThere were two ways they worked with the models. The first was to divide the data by time and to fit them to snapshots of the black hole in action, to make sure the measurements weren't \"contaminated\" by variability in its environment. This was combined into a single, averaged-out model.\nThe second model sought to fit all the data in at the same time. \"Here, we're fitting for the average image structure, along with an extra source of variability noise that's sitting on top of that average,\" Johnson said. \"This procedure is very similar to what we did to make the images. By combining all of these different approaches, we were able to precisely characterize the properties of the ring.\"\nBoth Sgr A* and M87 had their unique challenges in imaging, noted Vincent Fish, an EHT team member who is also a research scientist astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. \nSgr A* is much smaller and far more variable than M87, he told reporters on May 12, 2022. \"Materials swirl around M87 over the course of many days, but it takes only a few minutes for material to move around close to the horizon of Sgr A*,\" Fish said.\nTo \"further complicate things,\" he added, Sgr A* is blocked by a lot of dust in our own galaxy, making it more difficult to see through all the material. \"This scatters the radio waves and blurs the image. But years of observations at other wavelengths have made it possible for astronomers to partially mitigate the effects of this blurring.\"\nEHT is evolving quickly to produce more science. The collaboration aims to add several new telescopes worldwide to progress from still images of black holes to the first high-resolution movies, which scientists have been\naiming to do\nsince at least 2019.\n\"For M87, we hope to be able to switch into what we call 'agile observing,' \" Fish told reporters on May 12, 2022. The goal there is to stitch the new telescopes together by about 2024, although moving images may take some time to come in.\n\"The data has to be processed and, you know, who knows?\" Fish added. \"What sort of dynamic imaging techniques will have to be developed for that movie? But [it will come] a few years after that, for M87.\"\nEHT's 2022 campaign planned about a week's worth of remote observations. In March, the EHT collaboration\nsuggested\nthey would examine objects ranging from\nblack holes\nto galaxies to \nquasars\n(meaning, superbright objects embedded with black holes.)\nWhile the EHT has produced stunning black hole imagery from the ground, the next generation of such work could be produced in space. In 2019, astronomers at Radboud University in the Netherlands said they, the European Space Agency and others would eventually like to place two to three satellites in orbit around our planet. \nTheir concept is called the\nEvent Horizon Imager\n. It works by expanding the available distance between individual radio telescopes to beyond what the Earth's surface could provide. More distance in theory could mean better resolution, allowing for even more detailed images of black holes in the future.\nTo learn more about black holes, check out our black holes reference guide and this look at\nwhere black holes lead to\n. We've also taken a look at\nwhite holes\n, the opposite of black holes, and\nhow black holes have impacted video games\n. You might want to read\nStephen Hawking's most far-out ideas about black holes\nto see how strange they really are.\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\nElizabeth Howell (she\/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, \"Why Am I Taller?\" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.","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\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures#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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The orange galactic cores are visible in the center of the image and long antennae-like spiral arms can be seen stretching into space on either side.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/XqD328YcaR6HyiUGubqzDP.jpg) Astrophotography Astrophotographer captures spectacular photo of Antennae Galaxies dueling in deep space](https:\/\/www.space.com\/stargazing\/astrophotography\/astrophotographer-captures-spectacular-photo-of-antennae-galaxies-dueling-in-deep-space \"Astrophotographer captures spectacular photo of Antennae Galaxies dueling in deep space\")\n\n[![An illustration of a fiery red explosion in space from which a beam of green concentric circles protrudes.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/he6trTUsHbFfw5rE7UP4wM.png) Astronomy Astronomers missed a space explosion as powerful as a billion suns — until they spotted its echo](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/astronomers-missed-a-space-explosion-as-powerful-as-a-billion-suns-until-they-spotted-its-echo \"Astronomers missed a space explosion as powerful as a billion suns — until they spotted its echo\")\n\n[![swirls and clouds of rainbow colors on a black background](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/MPEVFjGeaeU5qadojroHUc.jpg) Galaxies Triangulum Galaxy dazzles in psychedelic color \\| Space photo of the day for March 23, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/galaxies\/triangulum-galaxy-dazzles-in-psychedelic-color-space-photo-of-the-day-for-march-23-2026 \"Triangulum Galaxy dazzles in psychedelic color | Space photo of the day for March 23, 2026\")\n\n[![An illustration shows the JWST in space next to its observations of some of the earliest galaxies ever seen, the so-called \\&quot;little red dots.\\&quot;](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ExCZSbHLLaztex8gVgeUhE.png) Galaxies Are mysterious 'Little Red Dots' discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope actually baby galaxies under construction?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/galaxies\/are-mysterious-little-red-dots-discovered-by-the-james-webb-space-telescope-actually-baby-galaxies-under-construction \"Are mysterious 'Little Red Dots' discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope actually baby galaxies under construction?\")\n\n[![a colorful ring of wispy gas on a starry background](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nhiYRyMB3dAFivfCQ2Gz6U.jpg) Astronomy New portrait of the oldest-known supernova \\| Space photo of the day for March 27, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/new-portrait-of-the-oldest-known-supernova-space-photo-of-the-day-for-march-27-2026 \"New portrait of the oldest-known supernova | Space photo of the day for March 27, 2026\")\n\n[![Two blue and white spirals of light are intertwined in the darkness of space](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/jKJ7LmegLNWvreY7He3etm.jpg) Galaxies Space telescopes capture breathtaking galactic hug \\| Space photo of the day for Jan. 8, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/galaxies\/space-telescopes-capture-breathtaking-galactic-hug-space-photo-of-the-day-for-jan-8-2026 \"Space telescopes capture breathtaking galactic hug | Space photo of the day for Jan. 8, 2026\")\n\n[![an impressive red spiral structure with a bright point of light at the very center.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/fZ7W5cMZW9yigxY63qLDkP.jpg) James Webb Space Telescope Spectacular spiral galaxy revealed by James Webb Space Telescope \\| Space photo of the day for March 4, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/james-webb-space-telescope\/spectacular-spiral-galaxy-revealed-by-james-webb-space-telescope-space-photo-of-the-day-for-march-4-2026 \"Spectacular spiral galaxy revealed by James Webb Space Telescope | Space photo of the day for March 4, 2026\")\n\n[![An illustration of an orange sphere in space surrounded by a gray ring of material.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/hTJ5qiXjJQFJW3jj2fL9HK.png) Stars Astronomers just watched a star 1,540 times the size of our sun transform into a hypergiant. Will it go supernova?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/stars\/astronomers-just-watched-a-star-1-540-times-the-size-of-our-sun-transform-into-a-hypergiant-will-it-go-supernova \"Astronomers just watched a star 1,540 times the size of our sun transform into a hypergiant. Will it go supernova?\")\n\n[![A speculative illustration of tiny primordial black holes. Have physicists just seen one explode?](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/2zwJQfcoh55WtPyoSDqgc5.jpg) Black Holes Did astronomers see a black hole explode? An 'impossible' particle that hit Earth in 2023 may tell us](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/did-astronomers-see-a-black-hole-explode-an-impossible-particle-that-hit-earth-in-2023-may-tell-us \"Did astronomers see a black hole explode? An 'impossible' particle that hit Earth in 2023 may tell us\")\n\n[![An image of RCW 36 in which the Milky Way nebula appears like a vast cosmic bird of prey](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/NYyCe8UQSnhVLsK7RZto3Z.png) Galaxies Cosmic Hawk spreads its wings\\| Space photo of the day for March 6, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/galaxies\/cosmic-hawk-spreads-its-wings-space-photo-of-the-day-for-march-6-2026 \"Cosmic Hawk spreads its wings| Space photo of the day for March 6, 2026 \")\n\n[![Pink structures looks like dots all across the image. There\\&\\#039;s a boxout that shows a magnified view of one section. One small portion of that magnification represents 10 million light-years. ](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ZQyHA4S4kaqxqpH4soe5z4.jpg) Astronomy Astronomers unveil largest 3D universe map of its kind, illuminating 'hidden' cosmic structures](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/astronomers-unveil-largest-3d-map-yet-of-hydrogen-light-in-the-early-universe-illuminating-hidden-cosmic-structures \"Astronomers unveil largest 3D universe map of its kind, illuminating 'hidden' cosmic structures\")\n\n[![The Milky Way shines over the Very Large Telescope in Chile, as lasers arc skyward from the four background telescopes.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CQAvtgceL25kkGrh4vJSLk.jpg) Astronomy Lasers beam 'artificial stars' above Chile \\| Space photo of the day for Feb. 17, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/lasers-beam-artificial-stars-above-chile-space-photo-of-the-day-for-feb-17-2026 \"Lasers beam 'artificial stars' above Chile | Space photo of the day for Feb. 17, 2026\")\n\n[![(Main) a superluminous supernova (Inset) a highly magnetic rapidly spinning neutron star or magnetar](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/q8yntMd3NymDrTyuyLgC24.png) Stars Astronomers witness colossal supernova explosion create one of the most magnetic stars in the universe for the first time](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/stars\/astronomers-witness-colossal-supernova-explosion-create-one-of-the-most-magnetic-stars-in-the-universe-for-the-first-time \"Astronomers witness colossal supernova explosion create one of the most magnetic stars in the universe for the first time\")\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[![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\nTrending\n\n- [Artemis 2 moon launch: Live updates](https:\/\/www.space.com\/news\/live\/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-launch-updates-march-29-2026#mrfhud=true)\n- [Amazon Spring Sale space deals](https:\/\/www.space.com\/technology\/amazon-spring-sale-deals-for-stargazing-2026-huge-savings-on-telescopes-binoculars-and-cameras)\n- [Night sky tonight\\!](https:\/\/www.space.com\/news\/live\/night-sky-what-you-can-see-tonight-march-27)\n- [Aurora Forecast](https:\/\/www.space.com\/live\/aurora-forecast-northern-lights-possible-tonight-march-27-29)\n- [Space Calendar](https:\/\/www.space.com\/32286-space-calendar.html)\n- [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)\n- [Best Drones](https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-drones)\n- [Lego Star Wars deals](https:\/\/www.space.com\/lego-star-wars-deals)\n- [Next Full Moon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/16830-full-moon-calendar.html)\n- [Best Telescopes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html)\n- [Solar System Planets](https:\/\/www.space.com\/16080-solar-system-planets.html)\n- [Best Star Projectors](https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-star-projectors)\n- [Best Binoculars](https:\/\/www.space.com\/26021-best-binoculars.html)\n\n1. [Astronomy](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy)\n2. [Black Holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes)\n# Sagittarius A\\* in pictures: The 1st photo of the Milky Way's monster black hole explained in images\n[References](https:\/\/www.space.com\/references)\n\nBy [Elizabeth Howell](https:\/\/www.space.com\/author\/elizabeth-howell)\n\npublished\n\nMay 12, 2022\n\nSee the first photo of the Milky Way's black hole Sagittarius A\\* and how it was made.\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\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F2qM9GBVYhTWeZ9W3C7Eij.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5DemphGDMm54WS7HBLZprg.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/8M3AhsZUBMfH2KTsDYEXT9.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YJU5jJUk6eKQa7epcFmBoL.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V4q7tR2uNk9f3Nqfeds2Yn.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JELU4qHw45S8SSZ5PSeZpn.png)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/TL7f5HrSR5ERnrRTEYCLQd.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eYoaT2TENLCR6DVMtamxja.png)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/paNqYZgA7J7uBBdPNV9J2n.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n- [![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/au3BAKRHQ3h7MRiHxLJ3o8.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures)\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F2qM9GBVYhTWeZ9W3C7Eij.jpg)\n\n###\nOn May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A\\*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.\n\nThe [historic image of Sagittarius A\\*](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-monster-black-hole-first-image-eht) (or Sgr A\\* for short) came courtesy of the [Event Horizon Telescope](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope.html), a planet-wide array of observatories best known for capturing the event horizon of a black hole in Messier 87 (M87) in 2019. You can see the image above.\n\nThe image was taken in submillimeter radio waves, revealing there is indeed a [black hole](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) embedded in the heart of the [Milky Way](https:\/\/www.space.com\/19915-milky-way-galaxy.html), eating on any hydrogen gas available. The image was also a massive technological breakthrough after years of attempting to capture Sgr A\\*, which is much smaller than M87.  \n   \n Click the arrows above to learn more about how the black hole discovery was made.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 1 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 1 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5DemphGDMm54WS7HBLZprg.jpg)\n\n###\n[Sagittarius A\\*](https:\/\/www.space.com\/sagittarius-a), pronounced \"Sagittarius A star,\" is a supermassive black hole located at the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2008, astronomers [Reinhard Genzel](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-mysteries-reinhard-genzel-interview) and Andrea Ghez showed that Sagittarius A\\* has a mass 4.3 million times that of the sun.\n\nBut the black hole, large as it is, is relatively small compared with the Milky Way. The diameter of the [supermassive black hole](https:\/\/www.space.com\/supermassive-black-hole) is around 14.6 million miles (23.5 million kilometers) , but the Milky Way itself is 100,000 light-years wide and 1,000 light-years thick.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 2 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 2 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/8M3AhsZUBMfH2KTsDYEXT9.jpg)\n\n###\nThe [Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope.html) is a multinational research project that images black holes. The collaboration has over 200 scientists and engineers working with telescopes around the world. Working groups include such aspects as instrumentation, data collection and processing, data analysis, products, publications and other specialties.\n\nThe \"[event horizon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html)\" of the Event Horizon Telescope name refers to the boundary of a black hole from which no radiation (including light) may escape. Einstein's [theory of general relativity](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) also predicts black holes have a zone of no escape for photons.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 3 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 3 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YJU5jJUk6eKQa7epcFmBoL.jpg)\n\n###\nThe EHT [uses radio telescopes around the world](https:\/\/www.space.com\/how-event-horizon-telescope-photographs-black-holes.html) to image black holes, bringing in such locations as the South Pole, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The observatories all look at the same target at the same time, collecting data in slightly different formats. This observing technique allows the numerous telescopes to act like a unified, large telescope that, ideally, magnifies distant and dim objects.\n\nTelescopes stay in sync by timestamping data with the assistance of atomic clocks. The clocks shoot maser (microwave laser) beams at hydrogen gas. Since hydrogen gas wobbles at a known frequency, this allows measurements in a similar way to how calculate the swing of a pendulum in old-fashioned grandfather clocks. Hydrogen maser clocks only lose about 1 second every 100 million years.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 4 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 4 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V4q7tR2uNk9f3Nqfeds2Yn.jpg)\n\n###\nIn 2019. the EHT captured the [event horizon of M87](https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html), showing the silhouette of the black hole in high detail. It shows up so brightly because the gas trapped in a swirl around the black hole creates a lot of radiation. (The radiation inside the black hole is of course, invisible since it is beyond the event horizon.)\n\nA 2021 follow-on effort [imaged the polarized light](https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-image-polarized-m87) surrounding the black hole, which sheds light on its magnetic fields. Light is polarized when emitted in hot and magnetic environments, such as a black hole. Unpolarized and polarized light have different orientations and brightness.\n\nThe polarized view \"tells us that the emission in the ring is most certainly produced by magnetic fields that are located very close to the event horizon,\" Monika Moscibrodzka, coordinator of the EHT Polarimetry Working Group and assistant professor at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands, told Space.com in 2021.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 5 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 5 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JELU4qHw45S8SSZ5PSeZpn.png)\n\n###\nTo understand the bizarre physics of the environment of Sgr A\\*, the imaging team used tools and models to measure the properties that were observed. They also developed more simplified models \"that we can fit directly to the EHT data,\" Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist Michael Johnson told reporters after the black hole's imaging was announced on May 12, 2022.\n\n\"This is a different approach than imaging,\" Johnson said. \"It gives us a different perspective, and it lets us understand the systematic biases of both methods because these simple models are easier to constrain with very limited data.\"\n\nThere were two ways they worked with the models. The first was to divide the data by time and to fit them to snapshots of the black hole in action, to make sure the measurements weren't \"contaminated\" by variability in its environment. This was combined into a single, averaged-out model.\n\nThe second model sought to fit all the data in at the same time. \"Here, we're fitting for the average image structure, along with an extra source of variability noise that's sitting on top of that average,\" Johnson said. \"This procedure is very similar to what we did to make the images. By combining all of these different approaches, we were able to precisely characterize the properties of the ring.\"\n\nPrev\n\nPage 6 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 6 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/TL7f5HrSR5ERnrRTEYCLQd.jpg)\n\n###\nBoth Sgr A\\* and M87 had their unique challenges in imaging, noted Vincent Fish, an EHT team member who is also a research scientist astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\n\nSgr A\\* is much smaller and far more variable than M87, he told reporters on May 12, 2022. \"Materials swirl around M87 over the course of many days, but it takes only a few minutes for material to move around close to the horizon of Sgr A\\*,\" Fish said.\n\nTo \"further complicate things,\" he added, Sgr A\\* is blocked by a lot of dust in our own galaxy, making it more difficult to see through all the material. \"This scatters the radio waves and blurs the image. But years of observations at other wavelengths have made it possible for astronomers to partially mitigate the effects of this blurring.\"\n\nPrev\n\nPage 7 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 7 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eYoaT2TENLCR6DVMtamxja.png)\n\n###\nEHT is evolving quickly to produce more science. The collaboration aims to add several new telescopes worldwide to progress from still images of black holes to the first high-resolution movies, which scientists have been [aiming to do](https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-movie.html) since at least 2019.\n\n\"For M87, we hope to be able to switch into what we call 'agile observing,' \" Fish told reporters on May 12, 2022. The goal there is to stitch the new telescopes together by about 2024, although moving images may take some time to come in.\n\n\"The data has to be processed and, you know, who knows?\" Fish added. \"What sort of dynamic imaging techniques will have to be developed for that movie? But \\[it will come\\] a few years after that, for M87.\"\n\nPrev\n\nPage 8 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 8 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/paNqYZgA7J7uBBdPNV9J2n.jpg)\n\n###\nEHT's 2022 campaign planned about a week's worth of remote observations. In March, the EHT collaboration [suggested](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope-2022-observation-campaign) they would examine objects ranging from [black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) to galaxies to [quasars](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17262-quasar-definition.html) (meaning, superbright objects embedded with black holes.)\n\nSgr A\\* was teased in the March announcement as a potential observing target, and scientists also said at the time they plan to return to imaging M87. Officials used remote observing techniques as a safety measure, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 9 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 9 of 10\n\nNext\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/au3BAKRHQ3h7MRiHxLJ3o8.jpg)\n\n###\nWhile the EHT has produced stunning black hole imagery from the ground, the next generation of such work could be produced in space. In 2019, astronomers at Radboud University in the Netherlands said they, the European Space Agency and others would eventually like to place two to three satellites in orbit around our planet.\n\nTheir concept is called the [Event Horizon Imager](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-hole-event-horizon-imager-space-telescope.html). It works by expanding the available distance between individual radio telescopes to beyond what the Earth's surface could provide. More distance in theory could mean better resolution, allowing for even more detailed images of black holes in the future.\n\nTo learn more about black holes, check out our black holes reference guide and this look at [where black holes lead to](https:\/\/www.space.com\/where-do-black-holes-lead.html). We've also taken a look at [white holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/white-holes.html), the opposite of black holes, and [how black holes have impacted video games](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-in-games). You might want to read [Stephen Hawking's most far-out ideas about black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/39976-stephen-hawking-black-holes.html) to see how strange they really are.\n\nPrev\n\nPage 10 of 10\n\nNext\n\nPrev\n\nPage 10 of 10\n\nNext\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! 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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![Elizabeth Howell](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RU2kJRoTDQkePFeSZBNxHF.jpg)\n\n[Elizabeth Howell](https:\/\/www.space.com\/author\/elizabeth-howell)\n\nContributing Writer\n\nElizabeth Howell (she\/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, \"Why Am I Taller?\" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.\n\nRead more\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[![a dense cluster of bright dots of light on a black background](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/i9LaBjFVPGL37PKBwu7VwA.jpg) Stars The 'invisible giant' at the heart of our galaxy \\| Space photo of the day for March 11, 2026](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/stars\/the-invisible-giant-at-the-heart-of-our-galaxy-space-photo-of-the-day-for-march-11-2026 \"The 'invisible giant' at the heart of our galaxy | Space photo of the day for March 11, 2026\")\n\n[![The central molecular zone and its location in the Milky Way](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7MRALWXNbuwzLoNekxbdnD.png) Galaxies World's largest radio telescope array pierces heart of our Milky Way: 'This is just the beginning'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/galaxies\/worlds-largest-radio-telescope-array-pierces-heart-of-our-milky-way-this-is-just-the-beginning \"World's largest radio telescope array pierces heart of our Milky Way: 'This is just the beginning'\")\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[![(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[![A glowing orange ring over a dark backgound](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/8s5tdx8XeoFzeFMW22GAU9.jpg) Black Holes NASA X-ray spacecraft reveals the shockingly violent history of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole](https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/black-holes\/nasa-x-ray-spacecraft-reveals-the-shockingly-violent-history-of-the-milky-ways-supermassive-black-hole \"NASA X-ray spacecraft reveals the shockingly violent history of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole\")\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 References\n\n[![Project Hail Mary book cover shown in front of a screenshot of the Project Hail Mary movie.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/R6pCKZvbqBeAPNPZvruDtF.jpg) Space Books Love Project Hail Mary? Here are the Andy Weir books you need to read](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-books\/love-project-hail-mary-here-are-the-andy-weir-books-you-need-to-read \"Love Project Hail Mary? Here are the Andy Weir books you need to read\")\n\n[![Split image showing three sci-fi games featuring AI. Left: GLaDOS from Portal, Middle: Cortana from Halo, Right: SHODAN from System Shock.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FfxRqNtHqoEova9orXkQ4X.jpg) Space Games Best AI games… as in games about AI, not slop made by AI](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-games\/best-ai-games-as-in-games-about-ai-not-slop-made-by-ai \"Best AI games… as in games about AI, not slop made by AI\")\n\n[![Screenshot from the sci-fi video game The Expanse: Osiris Reborn.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/DuKgLSxcuJm4TuMQE8gPEe.jpg) Space Games The Expanse: Osiris Reborn: Release date rumors, gameplay, & everything else we know about this sci-fi RPG](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-games\/the-expanse-osiris-reborn-release-date-rumors-gameplay-and-everything-else-we-know-about-this-sci-fi-rpg \"The Expanse: Osiris Reborn: Release date rumors, gameplay, & everything else we know about this sci-fi RPG\")\n\n[![a close-up of two gloved hands holding a tube full of grey rocky dust in a clean room](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/6qH6hGLT5YbqJyMkT2P4AD.jpg) Human Spaceflight Is it legal to own, buy, or sell Apollo mission moon rocks and lunar samples?](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/human-spaceflight\/is-it-legal-to-own-buy-or-sell-apollo-mission-moon-rocks-and-lunar-samples \"Is it legal to own, buy, or sell Apollo mission moon rocks and lunar samples? \")\n\n[![Three sci-fi couples kissing: Peter Quill \\&amp; Gamora, Han Solo \\&amp; Leia, and Nurse Chapel \\&amp; Spock](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/H7cVHj3rhDjqbYimbms8PP.jpg) Space Movies & Shows The 8 best sci-fi couples to emulate this Valentine's Day](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/best-sci-fi-couples \"The 8 best sci-fi couples to emulate this Valentine's Day\")\n\n[![Hero art for Halo: Campaign Evolved, the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved.](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/35Das3N4fRZYLKCqwiyaud.jpg) Space Games Halo: Campaign Evolved: Release date rumors, platforms, and everything else we know about the Halo remake](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-games\/halo-campaign-evolved-release-date-rumors-platforms-and-everything-else-we-know-about-the-halo-remake \"Halo: Campaign Evolved: Release date rumors, platforms, and everything else we know about the Halo remake\")\n\nMORE FROM SPACE...\n\n1. [![a black and white rocket launches into a blue sky](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/qq9vADNcmrGokKQ3u2cQD8.jpg)](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/launches-spacecraft\/spacex-transporter-16-rideshare-mission-launch \"Watch SpaceX launch 119 payloads to orbit from California early on March 30\")\n   \n   1\n   \n   [Watch SpaceX launch 119 payloads to orbit from California early on March 30](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/launches-spacecraft\/spacex-transporter-16-rideshare-mission-launch)\n2. 2\n   \n   ['We are ready': NASA still on track to launch Artemis 2 astronauts to the moon April 1](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/missions\/we-are-ready-nasa-still-on-track-to-launch-artemis-2-astronauts-to-the-moon-april-1)\n3. 3\n   \n   ['Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4': Release date, plot, factions, & everything else we know about the upcoming 40K strategy game](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-games\/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-4-release-date-plot-factions-and-everything-else-we-know-about-the-upcoming-40k-strategy-game)\n4. 4\n   \n   [Kristen Stewart will play Sally Ride, the 1st American woman in space, as Amazon finally greenlights mini-series 'The Challenger'](https:\/\/www.space.com\/entertainment\/space-movies-shows\/kristen-stewart-will-play-sally-ride-the-1st-american-woman-in-space-as-amazon-finally-greenlights-mini-series-the-challenger)\n5. 5\n   \n   [NASA's Artemis 2 moon astronauts are 'fortunate' to have a private space toilet — Apollo crews pooped in plastic bags](https:\/\/www.space.com\/space-exploration\/artemis\/nasas-artemis-2-moon-astronauts-are-fortunate-to-have-a-private-space-toilet-apollo-crews-pooped-in-plastic-bags)\n\nSpace is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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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":"![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/F2qM9GBVYhTWeZ9W3C7Eij.jpg)\n\nOn May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A\\*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.\n\nThe image was taken in submillimeter radio waves, revealing there is indeed a [black hole](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) embedded in the heart of the [Milky Way](https:\/\/www.space.com\/19915-milky-way-galaxy.html), eating on any hydrogen gas available. The image was also a massive technological breakthrough after years of attempting to capture Sgr A\\*, which is much smaller than M87.\n\nClick the arrows above to learn more about how the black hole discovery was made.\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5DemphGDMm54WS7HBLZprg.jpg)\n\n[Sagittarius A\\*](https:\/\/www.space.com\/sagittarius-a), pronounced \"Sagittarius A star,\" is a supermassive black hole located at the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2008, astronomers [Reinhard Genzel](https:\/\/www.space.com\/milky-way-black-hole-mysteries-reinhard-genzel-interview) and Andrea Ghez showed that Sagittarius A\\* has a mass 4.3 million times that of the sun.\n\nBut the black hole, large as it is, is relatively small compared with the Milky Way. The diameter of the [supermassive black hole](https:\/\/www.space.com\/supermassive-black-hole) is around 14.6 million miles (23.5 million kilometers) , but the Milky Way itself is 100,000 light-years wide and 1,000 light-years thick.\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/8M3AhsZUBMfH2KTsDYEXT9.jpg)\n\nThe [Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope.html) is a multinational research project that images black holes. The collaboration has over 200 scientists and engineers working with telescopes around the world. Working groups include such aspects as instrumentation, data collection and processing, data analysis, products, publications and other specialties.\n\nThe \"[event horizon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html)\" of the Event Horizon Telescope name refers to the boundary of a black hole from which no radiation (including light) may escape. Einstein's [theory of general relativity](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) also predicts black holes have a zone of no escape for photons.\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YJU5jJUk6eKQa7epcFmBoL.jpg)\n\nThe EHT [uses radio telescopes around the world](https:\/\/www.space.com\/how-event-horizon-telescope-photographs-black-holes.html) to image black holes, bringing in such locations as the South Pole, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The observatories all look at the same target at the same time, collecting data in slightly different formats. This observing technique allows the numerous telescopes to act like a unified, large telescope that, ideally, magnifies distant and dim objects.\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/V4q7tR2uNk9f3Nqfeds2Yn.jpg)\n\nIn 2019. the EHT captured the [event horizon of M87](https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html), showing the silhouette of the black hole in high detail. It shows up so brightly because the gas trapped in a swirl around the black hole creates a lot of radiation. (The radiation inside the black hole is of course, invisible since it is beyond the event horizon.)\n\nThe polarized view \"tells us that the emission in the ring is most certainly produced by magnetic fields that are located very close to the event horizon,\" Monika Moscibrodzka, coordinator of the EHT Polarimetry Working Group and assistant professor at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands, told Space.com in 2021.\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JELU4qHw45S8SSZ5PSeZpn.png)\n\nTo understand the bizarre physics of the environment of Sgr A\\*, the imaging team used tools and models to measure the properties that were observed. They also developed more simplified models \"that we can fit directly to the EHT data,\" Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist Michael Johnson told reporters after the black hole's imaging was announced on May 12, 2022.\n\n\"This is a different approach than imaging,\" Johnson said. \"It gives us a different perspective, and it lets us understand the systematic biases of both methods because these simple models are easier to constrain with very limited data.\"\n\nThere were two ways they worked with the models. The first was to divide the data by time and to fit them to snapshots of the black hole in action, to make sure the measurements weren't \"contaminated\" by variability in its environment. This was combined into a single, averaged-out model.\n\nThe second model sought to fit all the data in at the same time. \"Here, we're fitting for the average image structure, along with an extra source of variability noise that's sitting on top of that average,\" Johnson said. \"This procedure is very similar to what we did to make the images. By combining all of these different approaches, we were able to precisely characterize the properties of the ring.\"\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/TL7f5HrSR5ERnrRTEYCLQd.jpg)\n\nBoth Sgr A\\* and M87 had their unique challenges in imaging, noted Vincent Fish, an EHT team member who is also a research scientist astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\n\nSgr A\\* is much smaller and far more variable than M87, he told reporters on May 12, 2022. \"Materials swirl around M87 over the course of many days, but it takes only a few minutes for material to move around close to the horizon of Sgr A\\*,\" Fish said.\n\nTo \"further complicate things,\" he added, Sgr A\\* is blocked by a lot of dust in our own galaxy, making it more difficult to see through all the material. \"This scatters the radio waves and blurs the image. But years of observations at other wavelengths have made it possible for astronomers to partially mitigate the effects of this blurring.\"\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/eYoaT2TENLCR6DVMtamxja.png)\n\nEHT is evolving quickly to produce more science. The collaboration aims to add several new telescopes worldwide to progress from still images of black holes to the first high-resolution movies, which scientists have been [aiming to do](https:\/\/www.space.com\/first-black-hole-movie.html) since at least 2019.\n\n\"For M87, we hope to be able to switch into what we call 'agile observing,' \" Fish told reporters on May 12, 2022. The goal there is to stitch the new telescopes together by about 2024, although moving images may take some time to come in.\n\n\"The data has to be processed and, you know, who knows?\" Fish added. \"What sort of dynamic imaging techniques will have to be developed for that movie? But \\[it will come\\] a few years after that, for M87.\"\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/paNqYZgA7J7uBBdPNV9J2n.jpg)\n\nEHT's 2022 campaign planned about a week's worth of remote observations. In March, the EHT collaboration [suggested](https:\/\/www.space.com\/event-horizon-telescope-2022-observation-campaign) they would examine objects ranging from [black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) to galaxies to [quasars](https:\/\/www.space.com\/17262-quasar-definition.html) (meaning, superbright objects embedded with black holes.)\n\n![](https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/au3BAKRHQ3h7MRiHxLJ3o8.jpg)\n\nWhile the EHT has produced stunning black hole imagery from the ground, the next generation of such work could be produced in space. In 2019, astronomers at Radboud University in the Netherlands said they, the European Space Agency and others would eventually like to place two to three satellites in orbit around our planet.\n\nTheir concept is called the [Event Horizon Imager](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-hole-event-horizon-imager-space-telescope.html). It works by expanding the available distance between individual radio telescopes to beyond what the Earth's surface could provide. More distance in theory could mean better resolution, allowing for even more detailed images of black holes in the future.\n\nTo learn more about black holes, check out our black holes reference guide and this look at [where black holes lead to](https:\/\/www.space.com\/where-do-black-holes-lead.html). We've also taken a look at [white holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/white-holes.html), the opposite of black holes, and [how black holes have impacted video games](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-in-games). You might want to read [Stephen Hawking's most far-out ideas about black holes](https:\/\/www.space.com\/39976-stephen-hawking-black-holes.html) to see how strange they really are.\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\nElizabeth Howell (she\/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, \"Why Am I Taller?\" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.","meta_canonical":null}

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URL	https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures
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Meta Title	Sagittarius A*: 1st photo of Milky Way black hole in images \| Space
Meta Description	See the first photo of the Milky Way's black hole Sagittarius A* and how it was made.
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Boilerpipe Text	On May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The image was taken in submillimeter radio waves, revealing there is indeed a black hole embedded in the heart of the Milky Way , eating on any hydrogen gas available. The image was also a massive technological breakthrough after years of attempting to capture Sgr A, which is much smaller than M87. Click the arrows above to learn more about how the black hole discovery was made. Sagittarius A* , pronounced "Sagittarius A star," is a supermassive black hole located at the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2008, astronomers Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez showed that Sagittarius A* has a mass 4.3 million times that of the sun. But the black hole, large as it is, is relatively small compared with the Milky Way. The diameter of the supermassive black hole is around 14.6 million miles (23.5 million kilometers) , but the Milky Way itself is 100,000 light-years wide and 1,000 light-years thick. The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration is a multinational research project that images black holes. The collaboration has over 200 scientists and engineers working with telescopes around the world. Working groups include such aspects as instrumentation, data collection and processing, data analysis, products, publications and other specialties. The " event horizon " of the Event Horizon Telescope name refers to the boundary of a black hole from which no radiation (including light) may escape. Einstein's theory of general relativity also predicts black holes have a zone of no escape for photons. The EHT uses radio telescopes around the world to image black holes, bringing in such locations as the South Pole, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The observatories all look at the same target at the same time, collecting data in slightly different formats. This observing technique allows the numerous telescopes to act like a unified, large telescope that, ideally, magnifies distant and dim objects. In 2019. the EHT captured the event horizon of M87 , showing the silhouette of the black hole in high detail. It shows up so brightly because the gas trapped in a swirl around the black hole creates a lot of radiation. (The radiation inside the black hole is of course, invisible since it is beyond the event horizon.) The polarized view "tells us that the emission in the ring is most certainly produced by magnetic fields that are located very close to the event horizon," Monika Moscibrodzka, coordinator of the EHT Polarimetry Working Group and assistant professor at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands, told Space.com in 2021. To understand the bizarre physics of the environment of Sgr A, the imaging team used tools and models to measure the properties that were observed. They also developed more simplified models "that we can fit directly to the EHT data," Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist Michael Johnson told reporters after the black hole's imaging was announced on May 12, 2022. "This is a different approach than imaging," Johnson said. "It gives us a different perspective, and it lets us understand the systematic biases of both methods because these simple models are easier to constrain with very limited data." There were two ways they worked with the models. The first was to divide the data by time and to fit them to snapshots of the black hole in action, to make sure the measurements weren't "contaminated" by variability in its environment. This was combined into a single, averaged-out model. The second model sought to fit all the data in at the same time. "Here, we're fitting for the average image structure, along with an extra source of variability noise that's sitting on top of that average," Johnson said. "This procedure is very similar to what we did to make the images. By combining all of these different approaches, we were able to precisely characterize the properties of the ring." Both Sgr A and M87 had their unique challenges in imaging, noted Vincent Fish, an EHT team member who is also a research scientist astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sgr A* is much smaller and far more variable than M87, he told reporters on May 12, 2022. "Materials swirl around M87 over the course of many days, but it takes only a few minutes for material to move around close to the horizon of Sgr A," Fish said. To "further complicate things," he added, Sgr A is blocked by a lot of dust in our own galaxy, making it more difficult to see through all the material. "This scatters the radio waves and blurs the image. But years of observations at other wavelengths have made it possible for astronomers to partially mitigate the effects of this blurring." EHT is evolving quickly to produce more science. The collaboration aims to add several new telescopes worldwide to progress from still images of black holes to the first high-resolution movies, which scientists have been aiming to do since at least 2019. "For M87, we hope to be able to switch into what we call 'agile observing,' " Fish told reporters on May 12, 2022. The goal there is to stitch the new telescopes together by about 2024, although moving images may take some time to come in. "The data has to be processed and, you know, who knows?" Fish added. "What sort of dynamic imaging techniques will have to be developed for that movie? But [it will come] a few years after that, for M87." EHT's 2022 campaign planned about a week's worth of remote observations. In March, the EHT collaboration suggested they would examine objects ranging from black holes to galaxies to quasars (meaning, superbright objects embedded with black holes.) While the EHT has produced stunning black hole imagery from the ground, the next generation of such work could be produced in space. In 2019, astronomers at Radboud University in the Netherlands said they, the European Space Agency and others would eventually like to place two to three satellites in orbit around our planet. Their concept is called the Event Horizon Imager . It works by expanding the available distance between individual radio telescopes to beyond what the Earth's surface could provide. More distance in theory could mean better resolution, allowing for even more detailed images of black holes in the future. To learn more about black holes, check out our black holes reference guide and this look at where black holes lead to . We've also taken a look at white holes , the opposite of black holes, and how black holes have impacted video games . You might want to read Stephen Hawking's most far-out ideas about black holes to see how strange they really are. 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. Update mobile number Resend code 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. 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She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.
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[Astronomy](https://www.space.com/astronomy) 2. [Black Holes](https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes) # Sagittarius A\* in pictures: The 1st photo of the Milky Way's monster black hole explained in images [References](https://www.space.com/references) By [Elizabeth Howell](https://www.space.com/author/elizabeth-howell) published May 12, 2022 See the first photo of the Milky Way's black hole Sagittarius A\* and how it was made. 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). - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/F2qM9GBVYhTWeZ9W3C7Eij.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5DemphGDMm54WS7HBLZprg.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8M3AhsZUBMfH2KTsDYEXT9.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YJU5jJUk6eKQa7epcFmBoL.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V4q7tR2uNk9f3Nqfeds2Yn.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JELU4qHw45S8SSZ5PSeZpn.png)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TL7f5HrSR5ERnrRTEYCLQd.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eYoaT2TENLCR6DVMtamxja.png)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/paNqYZgA7J7uBBdPNV9J2n.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) - [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/au3BAKRHQ3h7MRiHxLJ3o8.jpg)](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-sagittarius-a-pictures) ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/F2qM9GBVYhTWeZ9W3C7Eij.jpg) ### On May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A\, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The [historic image of Sagittarius A\](https://www.space.com/milky-way-monster-black-hole-first-image-eht) (or Sgr A\* for short) came courtesy of the [Event Horizon Telescope](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope.html), a planet-wide array of observatories best known for capturing the event horizon of a black hole in Messier 87 (M87) in 2019. You can see the image above. The image was taken in submillimeter radio waves, revealing there is indeed a [black hole](https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) embedded in the heart of the [Milky Way](https://www.space.com/19915-milky-way-galaxy.html), eating on any hydrogen gas available. The image was also a massive technological breakthrough after years of attempting to capture Sgr A\, which is much smaller than M87. Click the arrows above to learn more about how the black hole discovery was made. Prev Page 1 of 10 Next Prev Page 1 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5DemphGDMm54WS7HBLZprg.jpg) ### [Sagittarius A\](https://www.space.com/sagittarius-a), pronounced "Sagittarius A star," is a supermassive black hole located at the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2008, astronomers [Reinhard Genzel](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-mysteries-reinhard-genzel-interview) and Andrea Ghez showed that Sagittarius A\* has a mass 4.3 million times that of the sun. But the black hole, large as it is, is relatively small compared with the Milky Way. The diameter of the [supermassive black hole](https://www.space.com/supermassive-black-hole) is around 14.6 million miles (23.5 million kilometers) , but the Milky Way itself is 100,000 light-years wide and 1,000 light-years thick. Prev Page 2 of 10 Next Prev Page 2 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8M3AhsZUBMfH2KTsDYEXT9.jpg) ### The [Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope.html) is a multinational research project that images black holes. The collaboration has over 200 scientists and engineers working with telescopes around the world. Working groups include such aspects as instrumentation, data collection and processing, data analysis, products, publications and other specialties. The "[event horizon](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html)" of the Event Horizon Telescope name refers to the boundary of a black hole from which no radiation (including light) may escape. Einstein's [theory of general relativity](https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) also predicts black holes have a zone of no escape for photons. Prev Page 3 of 10 Next Prev Page 3 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YJU5jJUk6eKQa7epcFmBoL.jpg) ### The EHT [uses radio telescopes around the world](https://www.space.com/how-event-horizon-telescope-photographs-black-holes.html) to image black holes, bringing in such locations as the South Pole, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The observatories all look at the same target at the same time, collecting data in slightly different formats. This observing technique allows the numerous telescopes to act like a unified, large telescope that, ideally, magnifies distant and dim objects. Telescopes stay in sync by timestamping data with the assistance of atomic clocks. The clocks shoot maser (microwave laser) beams at hydrogen gas. Since hydrogen gas wobbles at a known frequency, this allows measurements in a similar way to how calculate the swing of a pendulum in old-fashioned grandfather clocks. Hydrogen maser clocks only lose about 1 second every 100 million years. Prev Page 4 of 10 Next Prev Page 4 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V4q7tR2uNk9f3Nqfeds2Yn.jpg) ### In 2019. the EHT captured the [event horizon of M87](https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html), showing the silhouette of the black hole in high detail. It shows up so brightly because the gas trapped in a swirl around the black hole creates a lot of radiation. (The radiation inside the black hole is of course, invisible since it is beyond the event horizon.) A 2021 follow-on effort [imaged the polarized light](https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-image-polarized-m87) surrounding the black hole, which sheds light on its magnetic fields. Light is polarized when emitted in hot and magnetic environments, such as a black hole. Unpolarized and polarized light have different orientations and brightness. The polarized view "tells us that the emission in the ring is most certainly produced by magnetic fields that are located very close to the event horizon," Monika Moscibrodzka, coordinator of the EHT Polarimetry Working Group and assistant professor at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands, told Space.com in 2021. Prev Page 5 of 10 Next Prev Page 5 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JELU4qHw45S8SSZ5PSeZpn.png) ### To understand the bizarre physics of the environment of Sgr A\, the imaging team used tools and models to measure the properties that were observed. They also developed more simplified models "that we can fit directly to the EHT data," Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist Michael Johnson told reporters after the black hole's imaging was announced on May 12, 2022. "This is a different approach than imaging," Johnson said. "It gives us a different perspective, and it lets us understand the systematic biases of both methods because these simple models are easier to constrain with very limited data." There were two ways they worked with the models. The first was to divide the data by time and to fit them to snapshots of the black hole in action, to make sure the measurements weren't "contaminated" by variability in its environment. This was combined into a single, averaged-out model. The second model sought to fit all the data in at the same time. "Here, we're fitting for the average image structure, along with an extra source of variability noise that's sitting on top of that average," Johnson said. "This procedure is very similar to what we did to make the images. By combining all of these different approaches, we were able to precisely characterize the properties of the ring." Prev Page 6 of 10 Next Prev Page 6 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TL7f5HrSR5ERnrRTEYCLQd.jpg) ### Both Sgr A\ and M87 had their unique challenges in imaging, noted Vincent Fish, an EHT team member who is also a research scientist astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sgr A\* is much smaller and far more variable than M87, he told reporters on May 12, 2022. "Materials swirl around M87 over the course of many days, but it takes only a few minutes for material to move around close to the horizon of Sgr A\," Fish said. To "further complicate things," he added, Sgr A\ is blocked by a lot of dust in our own galaxy, making it more difficult to see through all the material. "This scatters the radio waves and blurs the image. But years of observations at other wavelengths have made it possible for astronomers to partially mitigate the effects of this blurring." Prev Page 7 of 10 Next Prev Page 7 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eYoaT2TENLCR6DVMtamxja.png) ### EHT is evolving quickly to produce more science. The collaboration aims to add several new telescopes worldwide to progress from still images of black holes to the first high-resolution movies, which scientists have been [aiming to do](https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-movie.html) since at least 2019. "For M87, we hope to be able to switch into what we call 'agile observing,' " Fish told reporters on May 12, 2022. The goal there is to stitch the new telescopes together by about 2024, although moving images may take some time to come in. "The data has to be processed and, you know, who knows?" Fish added. "What sort of dynamic imaging techniques will have to be developed for that movie? But \[it will come\] a few years after that, for M87." Prev Page 8 of 10 Next Prev Page 8 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/paNqYZgA7J7uBBdPNV9J2n.jpg) ### EHT's 2022 campaign planned about a week's worth of remote observations. In March, the EHT collaboration [suggested](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope-2022-observation-campaign) they would examine objects ranging from [black holes](https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) to galaxies to [quasars](https://www.space.com/17262-quasar-definition.html) (meaning, superbright objects embedded with black holes.) Sgr A\* was teased in the March announcement as a potential observing target, and scientists also said at the time they plan to return to imaging M87. Officials used remote observing techniques as a safety measure, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Prev Page 9 of 10 Next Prev Page 9 of 10 Next ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/au3BAKRHQ3h7MRiHxLJ3o8.jpg) ### While the EHT has produced stunning black hole imagery from the ground, the next generation of such work could be produced in space. In 2019, astronomers at Radboud University in the Netherlands said they, the European Space Agency and others would eventually like to place two to three satellites in orbit around our planet. Their concept is called the [Event Horizon Imager](https://www.space.com/black-hole-event-horizon-imager-space-telescope.html). It works by expanding the available distance between individual radio telescopes to beyond what the Earth's surface could provide. More distance in theory could mean better resolution, allowing for even more detailed images of black holes in the future. To learn more about black holes, check out our black holes reference guide and this look at [where black holes lead to](https://www.space.com/where-do-black-holes-lead.html). We've also taken a look at [white holes](https://www.space.com/white-holes.html), the opposite of black holes, and [how black holes have impacted video games](https://www.space.com/black-holes-in-games). You might want to read [Stephen Hawking's most far-out ideas about black holes](https://www.space.com/39976-stephen-hawking-black-holes.html) to see how strange they really are. Prev Page 10 of 10 Next Prev Page 10 of 10 Next 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? 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Leaderboard \| Rank \| Player \| Score \| Time \| \|---\|---\|---\|---\| Log In or Register More Quizzes Log Out ![Elizabeth Howell](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RU2kJRoTDQkePFeSZBNxHF.jpg) [Elizabeth Howell](https://www.space.com/author/elizabeth-howell) Contributing Writer Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Read more [![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?") 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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?") 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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. 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Readable Markdown	![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/F2qM9GBVYhTWeZ9W3C7Eij.jpg) On May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A\, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The image was taken in submillimeter radio waves, revealing there is indeed a [black hole](https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) embedded in the heart of the [Milky Way](https://www.space.com/19915-milky-way-galaxy.html), eating on any hydrogen gas available. The image was also a massive technological breakthrough after years of attempting to capture Sgr A\, which is much smaller than M87. Click the arrows above to learn more about how the black hole discovery was made. ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5DemphGDMm54WS7HBLZprg.jpg) [Sagittarius A\](https://www.space.com/sagittarius-a), pronounced "Sagittarius A star," is a supermassive black hole located at the center of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. In 2008, astronomers [Reinhard Genzel](https://www.space.com/milky-way-black-hole-mysteries-reinhard-genzel-interview) and Andrea Ghez showed that Sagittarius A\ has a mass 4.3 million times that of the sun. But the black hole, large as it is, is relatively small compared with the Milky Way. The diameter of the [supermassive black hole](https://www.space.com/supermassive-black-hole) is around 14.6 million miles (23.5 million kilometers) , but the Milky Way itself is 100,000 light-years wide and 1,000 light-years thick. ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8M3AhsZUBMfH2KTsDYEXT9.jpg) The [Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope.html) is a multinational research project that images black holes. The collaboration has over 200 scientists and engineers working with telescopes around the world. Working groups include such aspects as instrumentation, data collection and processing, data analysis, products, publications and other specialties. The "[event horizon](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html)" of the Event Horizon Telescope name refers to the boundary of a black hole from which no radiation (including light) may escape. Einstein's [theory of general relativity](https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html) also predicts black holes have a zone of no escape for photons. ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YJU5jJUk6eKQa7epcFmBoL.jpg) The EHT [uses radio telescopes around the world](https://www.space.com/how-event-horizon-telescope-photographs-black-holes.html) to image black holes, bringing in such locations as the South Pole, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The observatories all look at the same target at the same time, collecting data in slightly different formats. This observing technique allows the numerous telescopes to act like a unified, large telescope that, ideally, magnifies distant and dim objects. ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V4q7tR2uNk9f3Nqfeds2Yn.jpg) In 2019. the EHT captured the [event horizon of M87](https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-photo-by-event-horizon-telescope.html), showing the silhouette of the black hole in high detail. It shows up so brightly because the gas trapped in a swirl around the black hole creates a lot of radiation. (The radiation inside the black hole is of course, invisible since it is beyond the event horizon.) The polarized view "tells us that the emission in the ring is most certainly produced by magnetic fields that are located very close to the event horizon," Monika Moscibrodzka, coordinator of the EHT Polarimetry Working Group and assistant professor at Radboud Universiteit in the Netherlands, told Space.com in 2021. ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JELU4qHw45S8SSZ5PSeZpn.png) To understand the bizarre physics of the environment of Sgr A\, the imaging team used tools and models to measure the properties that were observed. They also developed more simplified models "that we can fit directly to the EHT data," Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist Michael Johnson told reporters after the black hole's imaging was announced on May 12, 2022. "This is a different approach than imaging," Johnson said. "It gives us a different perspective, and it lets us understand the systematic biases of both methods because these simple models are easier to constrain with very limited data." There were two ways they worked with the models. The first was to divide the data by time and to fit them to snapshots of the black hole in action, to make sure the measurements weren't "contaminated" by variability in its environment. This was combined into a single, averaged-out model. The second model sought to fit all the data in at the same time. "Here, we're fitting for the average image structure, along with an extra source of variability noise that's sitting on top of that average," Johnson said. "This procedure is very similar to what we did to make the images. By combining all of these different approaches, we were able to precisely characterize the properties of the ring." ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TL7f5HrSR5ERnrRTEYCLQd.jpg) Both Sgr A\ and M87 had their unique challenges in imaging, noted Vincent Fish, an EHT team member who is also a research scientist astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sgr A\* is much smaller and far more variable than M87, he told reporters on May 12, 2022. "Materials swirl around M87 over the course of many days, but it takes only a few minutes for material to move around close to the horizon of Sgr A\," Fish said. To "further complicate things," he added, Sgr A\ is blocked by a lot of dust in our own galaxy, making it more difficult to see through all the material. "This scatters the radio waves and blurs the image. But years of observations at other wavelengths have made it possible for astronomers to partially mitigate the effects of this blurring." ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eYoaT2TENLCR6DVMtamxja.png) EHT is evolving quickly to produce more science. The collaboration aims to add several new telescopes worldwide to progress from still images of black holes to the first high-resolution movies, which scientists have been [aiming to do](https://www.space.com/first-black-hole-movie.html) since at least 2019. "For M87, we hope to be able to switch into what we call 'agile observing,' " Fish told reporters on May 12, 2022. The goal there is to stitch the new telescopes together by about 2024, although moving images may take some time to come in. "The data has to be processed and, you know, who knows?" Fish added. "What sort of dynamic imaging techniques will have to be developed for that movie? But \[it will come\] a few years after that, for M87." ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/paNqYZgA7J7uBBdPNV9J2n.jpg) EHT's 2022 campaign planned about a week's worth of remote observations. In March, the EHT collaboration [suggested](https://www.space.com/event-horizon-telescope-2022-observation-campaign) they would examine objects ranging from [black holes](https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html) to galaxies to [quasars](https://www.space.com/17262-quasar-definition.html) (meaning, superbright objects embedded with black holes.) ![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/au3BAKRHQ3h7MRiHxLJ3o8.jpg) While the EHT has produced stunning black hole imagery from the ground, the next generation of such work could be produced in space. In 2019, astronomers at Radboud University in the Netherlands said they, the European Space Agency and others would eventually like to place two to three satellites in orbit around our planet. Their concept is called the [Event Horizon Imager](https://www.space.com/black-hole-event-horizon-imager-space-telescope.html). It works by expanding the available distance between individual radio telescopes to beyond what the Earth's surface could provide. More distance in theory could mean better resolution, allowing for even more detailed images of black holes in the future. To learn more about black holes, check out our black holes reference guide and this look at [where black holes lead to](https://www.space.com/where-do-black-holes-lead.html). We've also taken a look at [white holes](https://www.space.com/white-holes.html), the opposite of black holes, and [how black holes have impacted video games](https://www.space.com/black-holes-in-games). You might want to read [Stephen Hawking's most far-out ideas about black holes](https://www.space.com/39976-stephen-hawking-black-holes.html) to see how strange they really are. 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. 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(ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.
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