🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 37 (from laksa162)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa037.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.technologyreview.com/2019/04/10/136124/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/04/10/136124/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/","crawl_time":1776334115,"first_indexed_time":1586290027,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,technologyreview!www,\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/ s443","src_root_hash":"11534651206454087237","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"This is the first ever photo of a black hole | MIT Technology Review","meta_descriptions":["This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun. This bright image was revealed by researchers at a…"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun.\nThis bright image was revealed by researchers at a number of worldwide press conferences today, and detailed in a\nset of papers\nin the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It shows visual evidence of the event horizon of a black hole and allow us to see something previously thought to be invisible. \n“History books will be divided into the time before the image and after the image,” said Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in one of the press conferences.\nBut how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t radiate light? Well, rather than looking directly at the black hole itself, the EHT looks at gas surrounding it to take an image of its shadow. Specifically, researchers looked at\nthe event horizon\n, the limit beyond which light can no longer escape the intense gravity of the black hole. The gas in this area heats up to billions of degrees, creating a silhouette whose shape should be predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. So far, the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations are in line with what he anticipated.\nThat shadow is revealed in the center of today’s picture against a backdrop of glowing light that is being pulled in by the black hole’s incredible gravity. You’ll notice one side of the image is actually brighter than the other. That is because of the black hole’s orientation relative to Earth. The brighter side is the one rotating toward Earth, meaning the particles are being thrown toward our planet faster on that edge, making them appear to glow brighter.\nAstronomers around the world celebrated today’s unveiling. “Having spent about 20 years helping to visualize the high-energy universe, I am seeing this silhouette of a black hole. That it happened in my lifetime is incredible,” says Kim Kowal Arcand, visualization and emerging-tech lead for the Chandra Observatory.\n“This is to me the cherry on top of an amazing rush of astronomical discovery: moving from what was in the realm of science fiction to science fact.”\nThe image was created using radio astronomy. Most radio astronomy is done using large dishes that capture radio waves hitting Earth. But creating an image of the black hole required a telescope quite a bit larger. Researchers needed one the size of our planet.\nThat’s why the Event Horizon Telescope combined measurements from radio observatories on four separate continents. The array is currently made up of sites in North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica, with other locations being included over its life cycle. When all dishes take measurements at the same time, they can be combined into a conglomeration of data, similar to what’s taken on a smaller scale in radio dishes. (Check out a great explainer video that goes into more detail\nhere\n.)\nThe information used to make the image revealed today comes primarily from data taken in April 2017. Over the past two years, researchers have worked to turn that information into the clearest image possible by syncing up the measurements taken concurrently around the world. In 2018, an observatory in Chile was added to help create a clearer photo, after the initial results that came back were a tad foggy.\nThe reveal of the image is a huge milestone for the study of black holes. “While we confirmed the existence of black holes and studied their properties in so many ways, nothing beats a direct observation,” University of Southern California professor Clifford Johnson told MIT Technology Review in advance of the announcement. “It’s rather like seeing the shots fired as well as the smoking gun.”\nNext up, though: figuring out what’s actually going on inside the black hole. This image is a major step toward solving the puzzles of these mysterious objects, but exactly what’s beyond that glow is still a challenge waiting to be solved. \nCorrection: The initial version of this article misstated the location of the galaxy. We have now updated it.","attrs_markdown":"You need to enable JavaScript to view this site.\n\n[Skip to Content](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/#content)\n\n[MIT Technology Review](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/)\n\n- [Featured](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/)\n- [Topics](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/all-topics)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/newsletter-preferences)\n- [Events](https:\/\/events.technologyreview.com\/)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/)\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/login&redirectTo=\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/)\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/subscribe?itm_source=nav-button&itm_medium=onsite&itm_campaign=subscribe-BAU)\n\n[MIT Technology Review](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/)\n\n- [Featured](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/)\n- [Topics](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/all-topics)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/newsletter-preferences)\n- [Events](https:\/\/events.technologyreview.com\/)\n- [Audio](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/)\n\n[Sign in](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/login&redirectTo=\/2019\/04\/10\/136124\/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole\/)\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/subscribe?itm_source=nav-button&itm_medium=onsite&itm_campaign=subscribe-BAU)\n\n[Space](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/topic\/space\/)\n\n# This is the first ever photo of a black hole\nThe scientists behind it spent a decade using a virtual telescope the size of Earth to create this historic image.\n\nBy\n\n- [Erin Winickarchive page](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/erin-winick\/)\n\nApril 10, 2019\n\n![](https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/20190410-78m-800x466-10.png)\n\nEvent Horizon Telescope Collaboration\n\nThis soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun.\n\nThis bright image was revealed by researchers at a number of worldwide press conferences today, and detailed in a [set of papers](https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/journal\/2041-8205) in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It shows visual evidence of the event horizon of a black hole and allow us to see something previously thought to be invisible.\n\n“History books will be divided into the time before the image and after the image,” said Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in one of the press conferences.\n\nBut how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t radiate light? Well, rather than looking directly at the black hole itself, the EHT looks at gas surrounding it to take an image of its shadow. Specifically, researchers looked at [the event horizon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html), the limit beyond which light can no longer escape the intense gravity of the black hole. The gas in this area heats up to billions of degrees, creating a silhouette whose shape should be predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. So far, the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations are in line with what he anticipated.\n\nThat shadow is revealed in the center of today’s picture against a backdrop of glowing light that is being pulled in by the black hole’s incredible gravity. You’ll notice one side of the image is actually brighter than the other. That is because of the black hole’s orientation relative to Earth. The brighter side is the one rotating toward Earth, meaning the particles are being thrown toward our planet faster on that edge, making them appear to glow brighter.\n\nAstronomers around the world celebrated today’s unveiling. “Having spent about 20 years helping to visualize the high-energy universe, I am seeing this silhouette of a black hole. That it happened in my lifetime is incredible,” says Kim Kowal Arcand, visualization and emerging-tech lead for the Chandra Observatory.\n\n“This is to me the cherry on top of an amazing rush of astronomical discovery: moving from what was in the realm of science fiction to science fact.”\n\nThe image was created using radio astronomy. Most radio astronomy is done using large dishes that capture radio waves hitting Earth. But creating an image of the black hole required a telescope quite a bit larger. Researchers needed one the size of our planet.\n\nThat’s why the Event Horizon Telescope combined measurements from radio observatories on four separate continents. The array is currently made up of sites in North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica, with other locations being included over its life cycle. When all dishes take measurements at the same time, they can be combined into a conglomeration of data, similar to what’s taken on a smaller scale in radio dishes. (Check out a great explainer video that goes into more detail [here](https:\/\/youtu.be\/hMsNd1W_lmE).)\n\nThe information used to make the image revealed today comes primarily from data taken in April 2017. Over the past two years, researchers have worked to turn that information into the clearest image possible by syncing up the measurements taken concurrently around the world. In 2018, an observatory in Chile was added to help create a clearer photo, after the initial results that came back were a tad foggy.\n\nThe reveal of the image is a huge milestone for the study of black holes. “While we confirmed the existence of black holes and studied their properties in so many ways, nothing beats a direct observation,” University of Southern California professor Clifford Johnson told MIT Technology Review in advance of the announcement. “It’s rather like seeing the shots fired as well as the smoking gun.”\n\nNext up, though: figuring out what’s actually going on inside the black hole. This image is a major step toward solving the puzzles of these mysterious objects, but exactly what’s beyond that glow is still a challenge waiting to be solved.\n\n*Correction: The initial version of this article misstated the location of the galaxy. We have now updated it.*\n\nhide\n\n### by [Erin Winick](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/erin-winick\/)\n### Share\n- [Share story on linkedin](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2019%2F04%2F10%2F136124%2Fthis-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole%2F&title=This%20is%20the%20first%20ever%20photo%20of%20a%20black%20hole&summary=This%20soon-to-be%20famous%20image%2C%20courtesy%20of%20the%20Event%20Horizon%20Telescope%20%28EHT%29%2C%20is%20our%20first%20picture%20of%20the%20black%20hole%20that%20sits%20inside%20Messier%2087%20%28M87%29%2C%20a%20galaxy%20located%20more%20than%2053%20million%20light-years%20from%20Earth.%20It%20has%20a%20mass%206.5%20billion%20times%20that%20of%20the%20sun.%20This%20bright%20image%20was%20revealed%20by%20researchers%20at%20a%E2%80%A6)\n- [Share story on facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php\/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2019%2F04%2F10%2F136124%2Fthis-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole%2F)\n- [Share story on email](mailto:?subject=This%20is%20the%20first%20ever%20photo%20of%20a%20black%20hole&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2019%2F04%2F10%2F136124%2Fthis-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole%2F)\n\n- ### Popular\n  1. [OpenAI is throwing everything into building a fully automated researcher](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/03\/20\/1134438\/openai-is-throwing-everything-into-building-a-fully-automated-researcher\/)[Will Douglas Heaven](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/will-douglas-heaven\/)\n  2. [How Pokémon Go is giving delivery robots an inch-perfect view of the world](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/03\/10\/1134099\/how-pokemon-go-is-helping-robots-deliver-pizza-on-time\/)[Will Douglas Heaven](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/will-douglas-heaven\/)\n  3. [Inside the stealthy startup that pitched brainless human clones](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/03\/30\/1134780\/r3-bio-brainless-human-clones-full-body-replacement-john-schloendorn-aging-longevity\/)[Antonio Regalado](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/antonio-regalado\/)\n  4. [Inside Chicago’s surveillance panopticon](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/02\/23\/1132740\/inside-chicago-surveillance-panopticon\/)[Rod McCullom](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/rod-mccullom\/)\n\n### Deep Dive\n### Space\n[![](https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260225_xinmei_TR_RacetoMars_image1intro_final.jpg)America was winning the race to find Martian life. Then China jumped in.](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/02\/26\/1133584\/america-china-mars-sample-return-space-race-nasa\/)\n\nThe Mars Sample Return mission got off to a promising start, hunting for potentially humanity-changing space rocks. How did it fall off the rails?\n\nBy\n\n- [Robin George Andrewsarchive page](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/robin-george-andrews\/)\n\n[![a data center light up at night](https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP24331768239638.jpg)Four things we’d need to put data centers in space](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/04\/03\/1135073\/four-things-wed-need-to-put-data-centers-in-space\/)\n\nSpaceX wants to put up to a million data centers in orbit. There are a few technological hurdles standing in the way.\n\nBy\n\n- [Tereza Pultarovaarchive page](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/tereza-pultarova\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MA26-mapped-top-e1771878476647.png)We’re putting more stuff into space than ever. Here’s what’s up there.](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/02\/24\/1132755\/anthroposphere-putting-more-stuff-into-space-than-ever\/)\n\nThere’s a thin layer of human-made stuff enrobing the planet. A data dive into the anthroposphere.\n\nBy\n\n- [Jonathan O'Callaghanarchive page](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/jonathan-ocallaghan\/)\n\n[![artist\\&\\#039;s rendering of Space Reactor-1 Freedom doing a fly-by of Mars](https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SR-1_Freedom_Mars_flyby.jpg)NASA is building the first nuclear reactor-powered interplanetary spacecraft. How will it work?](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2026\/04\/14\/1135848\/nasa-nuclear-powered-spacecraft\/)\n\nThe agency wants to fly it to Mars by the end of 2028. Experts say that’s … ambitious.\n\nBy\n\n- [Robin George Andrewsarchive page](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/author\/robin-george-andrews\/)\n\n### Stay connected\n![](https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/newsletter-preferences-sm.png)\n\nIllustration by Rose Wong\n## Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review\nDiscover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.\n\n### The latest iteration of a legacy\nFounded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899, MIT Technology Review is a world-renowned, independent media company whose insight, analysis, reviews, interviews and live events explain the newest technologies and their commercial, social and political impact.\n\n[READ ABOUT OUR HISTORY](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/supertopic\/about-mit-technology-review\/)\n\n### Advertise with MIT Technology Review\nElevate your brand to the forefront of conversation around emerging technologies that are radically transforming business. From event sponsorships to custom content to visually arresting video storytelling, advertising with MIT Technology Review creates opportunities for your brand to resonate with an unmatched audience of technology and business elite.\n\n[ADVERTISE WITH US](https:\/\/mediakit.technologyreview.com\/)\n\n© 2026 MIT Technology Review\n\n- ### About\n  - [About us](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/supertopic\/about-mit-technology-review\/)\n  - [Careers](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/open-positions\/)\n  - [Custom content](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/custom-content)\n  - [Advertise with us](https:\/\/mediakit.technologyreview.com\/)\n  - [International Editions](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/international-editions\/)\n  - [Republishing](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/republishing\/)\n  - [MIT Alumni News](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/mit-news)\n- ### Help\n  - [Help & FAQ](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/help\/)\n  - [My subscription](https:\/\/subscriptions.technologyreview.com\/loading.do?omedasite=MITTR_LAND)\n  - [Editorial guidelines](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/editorial-guidelines\/)\n  - [Privacy policy](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/privacy\/)\n  - [Terms of Service](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/terms-of-service\/)\n  - [Write for us](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/how-to-pitch-mit-technology-review\/)\n  - [Contact us](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/help#contact-us)\n\n- [linkedin opens in a new window](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mit-technology-review)\n- [instagram opens in a new window](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/technologyreview\/)\n- [reddit opens in a new window](https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/techreview\/)\n- [facebook opens in a new window](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/technologyreview\/)\n- [rss opens in a new window](https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/feed\/)","attrs_readable_markdown":"This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun.\n\nThis bright image was revealed by researchers at a number of worldwide press conferences today, and detailed in a [set of papers](https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/journal\/2041-8205) in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It shows visual evidence of the event horizon of a black hole and allow us to see something previously thought to be invisible.\n\n“History books will be divided into the time before the image and after the image,” said Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in one of the press conferences.\n\nBut how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t radiate light? Well, rather than looking directly at the black hole itself, the EHT looks at gas surrounding it to take an image of its shadow. Specifically, researchers looked at [the event horizon](https:\/\/www.space.com\/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html), the limit beyond which light can no longer escape the intense gravity of the black hole. The gas in this area heats up to billions of degrees, creating a silhouette whose shape should be predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. So far, the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations are in line with what he anticipated.\n\nThat shadow is revealed in the center of today’s picture against a backdrop of glowing light that is being pulled in by the black hole’s incredible gravity. You’ll notice one side of the image is actually brighter than the other. That is because of the black hole’s orientation relative to Earth. The brighter side is the one rotating toward Earth, meaning the particles are being thrown toward our planet faster on that edge, making them appear to glow brighter.\n\nAstronomers around the world celebrated today’s unveiling. “Having spent about 20 years helping to visualize the high-energy universe, I am seeing this silhouette of a black hole. That it happened in my lifetime is incredible,” says Kim Kowal Arcand, visualization and emerging-tech lead for the Chandra Observatory.\n\n“This is to me the cherry on top of an amazing rush of astronomical discovery: moving from what was in the realm of science fiction to science fact.”\n\nThe image was created using radio astronomy. Most radio astronomy is done using large dishes that capture radio waves hitting Earth. But creating an image of the black hole required a telescope quite a bit larger. Researchers needed one the size of our planet.\n\nThat’s why the Event Horizon Telescope combined measurements from radio observatories on four separate continents. The array is currently made up of sites in North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica, with other locations being included over its life cycle. When all dishes take measurements at the same time, they can be combined into a conglomeration of data, similar to what’s taken on a smaller scale in radio dishes. (Check out a great explainer video that goes into more detail [here](https:\/\/youtu.be\/hMsNd1W_lmE).)\n\nThe information used to make the image revealed today comes primarily from data taken in April 2017. Over the past two years, researchers have worked to turn that information into the clearest image possible by syncing up the measurements taken concurrently around the world. In 2018, an observatory in Chile was added to help create a clearer photo, after the initial results that came back were a tad foggy.\n\nThe reveal of the image is a huge milestone for the study of black holes. “While we confirmed the existence of black holes and studied their properties in so many ways, nothing beats a direct observation,” University of Southern California professor Clifford Johnson told MIT Technology Review in advance of the announcement. “It’s rather like seeing the shots fired as well as the smoking gun.”\n\nNext up, though: figuring out what’s actually going on inside the black hole. This image is a major step toward solving the puzzles of these mysterious objects, but exactly what’s beyond that glow is still a challenge waiting to be solved.\n\n*Correction: The initial version of this article misstated the location of the galaxy. We have now updated it.*","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

1 day ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	0.1 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

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Property	Value
URL	https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/04/10/136124/this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole/
Last Crawled	2026-04-16 10:08:35 (1 day ago)
First Indexed	2020-04-07 20:07:07 (6 years ago)
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	This is the first ever photo of a black hole \| MIT Technology Review
Meta Description	This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun. This bright image was revealed by researchers at a…
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun. This bright image was revealed by researchers at a number of worldwide press conferences today, and detailed in a set of papers in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It shows visual evidence of the event horizon of a black hole and allow us to see something previously thought to be invisible. “History books will be divided into the time before the image and after the image,” said Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in one of the press conferences. But how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t radiate light? Well, rather than looking directly at the black hole itself, the EHT looks at gas surrounding it to take an image of its shadow. Specifically, researchers looked at the event horizon , the limit beyond which light can no longer escape the intense gravity of the black hole. The gas in this area heats up to billions of degrees, creating a silhouette whose shape should be predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. So far, the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations are in line with what he anticipated. That shadow is revealed in the center of today’s picture against a backdrop of glowing light that is being pulled in by the black hole’s incredible gravity. You’ll notice one side of the image is actually brighter than the other. That is because of the black hole’s orientation relative to Earth. The brighter side is the one rotating toward Earth, meaning the particles are being thrown toward our planet faster on that edge, making them appear to glow brighter. Astronomers around the world celebrated today’s unveiling. “Having spent about 20 years helping to visualize the high-energy universe, I am seeing this silhouette of a black hole. That it happened in my lifetime is incredible,” says Kim Kowal Arcand, visualization and emerging-tech lead for the Chandra Observatory. “This is to me the cherry on top of an amazing rush of astronomical discovery: moving from what was in the realm of science fiction to science fact.” The image was created using radio astronomy. Most radio astronomy is done using large dishes that capture radio waves hitting Earth. But creating an image of the black hole required a telescope quite a bit larger. Researchers needed one the size of our planet. That’s why the Event Horizon Telescope combined measurements from radio observatories on four separate continents. The array is currently made up of sites in North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica, with other locations being included over its life cycle. When all dishes take measurements at the same time, they can be combined into a conglomeration of data, similar to what’s taken on a smaller scale in radio dishes. (Check out a great explainer video that goes into more detail here .) The information used to make the image revealed today comes primarily from data taken in April 2017. Over the past two years, researchers have worked to turn that information into the clearest image possible by syncing up the measurements taken concurrently around the world. In 2018, an observatory in Chile was added to help create a clearer photo, after the initial results that came back were a tad foggy. The reveal of the image is a huge milestone for the study of black holes. “While we confirmed the existence of black holes and studied their properties in so many ways, nothing beats a direct observation,” University of Southern California professor Clifford Johnson told MIT Technology Review in advance of the announcement. “It’s rather like seeing the shots fired as well as the smoking gun.” Next up, though: figuring out what’s actually going on inside the black hole. This image is a major step toward solving the puzzles of these mysterious objects, but exactly what’s beyond that glow is still a challenge waiting to be solved. Correction: The initial version of this article misstated the location of the galaxy. We have now updated it.
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By - [Erin Winickarchive page](https://www.technologyreview.com/author/erin-winick/) April 10, 2019 ![](https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190410-78m-800x466-10.png) Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun. This bright image was revealed by researchers at a number of worldwide press conferences today, and detailed in a [set of papers](https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205) in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It shows visual evidence of the event horizon of a black hole and allow us to see something previously thought to be invisible. “History books will be divided into the time before the image and after the image,” said Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in one of the press conferences. But how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t radiate light? Well, rather than looking directly at the black hole itself, the EHT looks at gas surrounding it to take an image of its shadow. Specifically, researchers looked at [the event horizon](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html), the limit beyond which light can no longer escape the intense gravity of the black hole. The gas in this area heats up to billions of degrees, creating a silhouette whose shape should be predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. So far, the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations are in line with what he anticipated. That shadow is revealed in the center of today’s picture against a backdrop of glowing light that is being pulled in by the black hole’s incredible gravity. You’ll notice one side of the image is actually brighter than the other. That is because of the black hole’s orientation relative to Earth. The brighter side is the one rotating toward Earth, meaning the particles are being thrown toward our planet faster on that edge, making them appear to glow brighter. Astronomers around the world celebrated today’s unveiling. “Having spent about 20 years helping to visualize the high-energy universe, I am seeing this silhouette of a black hole. That it happened in my lifetime is incredible,” says Kim Kowal Arcand, visualization and emerging-tech lead for the Chandra Observatory. “This is to me the cherry on top of an amazing rush of astronomical discovery: moving from what was in the realm of science fiction to science fact.” The image was created using radio astronomy. Most radio astronomy is done using large dishes that capture radio waves hitting Earth. But creating an image of the black hole required a telescope quite a bit larger. Researchers needed one the size of our planet. That’s why the Event Horizon Telescope combined measurements from radio observatories on four separate continents. The array is currently made up of sites in North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica, with other locations being included over its life cycle. When all dishes take measurements at the same time, they can be combined into a conglomeration of data, similar to what’s taken on a smaller scale in radio dishes. (Check out a great explainer video that goes into more detail [here](https://youtu.be/hMsNd1W_lmE).) The information used to make the image revealed today comes primarily from data taken in April 2017. Over the past two years, researchers have worked to turn that information into the clearest image possible by syncing up the measurements taken concurrently around the world. In 2018, an observatory in Chile was added to help create a clearer photo, after the initial results that came back were a tad foggy. The reveal of the image is a huge milestone for the study of black holes. “While we confirmed the existence of black holes and studied their properties in so many ways, nothing beats a direct observation,” University of Southern California professor Clifford Johnson told MIT Technology Review in advance of the announcement. “It’s rather like seeing the shots fired as well as the smoking gun.” Next up, though: figuring out what’s actually going on inside the black hole. This image is a major step toward solving the puzzles of these mysterious objects, but exactly what’s beyond that glow is still a challenge waiting to be solved. Correction: The initial version of this article misstated the location of the galaxy. We have now updated it. hide ### by [Erin Winick](https://www.technologyreview.com/author/erin-winick/) ### Share - [Share story on linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2019%2F04%2F10%2F136124%2Fthis-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole%2F&title=This%20is%20the%20first%20ever%20photo%20of%20a%20black%20hole&summary=This%20soon-to-be%20famous%20image%2C%20courtesy%20of%20the%20Event%20Horizon%20Telescope%20%28EHT%29%2C%20is%20our%20first%20picture%20of%20the%20black%20hole%20that%20sits%20inside%20Messier%2087%20%28M87%29%2C%20a%20galaxy%20located%20more%20than%2053%20million%20light-years%20from%20Earth.%20It%20has%20a%20mass%206.5%20billion%20times%20that%20of%20the%20sun.%20This%20bright%20image%20was%20revealed%20by%20researchers%20at%20a%E2%80%A6) - [Share story on facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2019%2F04%2F10%2F136124%2Fthis-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole%2F) - [Share story on email](mailto:?subject=This%20is%20the%20first%20ever%20photo%20of%20a%20black%20hole&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.technologyreview.com%2F2019%2F04%2F10%2F136124%2Fthis-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-a-black-hole%2F) - ### Popular 1. 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Readable Markdown	This soon-to-be famous image, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), is our first picture of the black hole that sits inside Messier 87 (M87), a galaxy located more than 53 million light-years from Earth. It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun. This bright image was revealed by researchers at a number of worldwide press conferences today, and detailed in a [set of papers](https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205) in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. It shows visual evidence of the event horizon of a black hole and allow us to see something previously thought to be invisible. “History books will be divided into the time before the image and after the image,” said Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in one of the press conferences. But how do you take a picture of something that doesn’t radiate light? Well, rather than looking directly at the black hole itself, the EHT looks at gas surrounding it to take an image of its shadow. Specifically, researchers looked at [the event horizon](https://www.space.com/black-holes-event-horizon-explained.html), the limit beyond which light can no longer escape the intense gravity of the black hole. The gas in this area heats up to billions of degrees, creating a silhouette whose shape should be predicted by Einstein’s theory of relativity. So far, the Event Horizon Telescope’s observations are in line with what he anticipated. That shadow is revealed in the center of today’s picture against a backdrop of glowing light that is being pulled in by the black hole’s incredible gravity. You’ll notice one side of the image is actually brighter than the other. That is because of the black hole’s orientation relative to Earth. The brighter side is the one rotating toward Earth, meaning the particles are being thrown toward our planet faster on that edge, making them appear to glow brighter. Astronomers around the world celebrated today’s unveiling. “Having spent about 20 years helping to visualize the high-energy universe, I am seeing this silhouette of a black hole. That it happened in my lifetime is incredible,” says Kim Kowal Arcand, visualization and emerging-tech lead for the Chandra Observatory. “This is to me the cherry on top of an amazing rush of astronomical discovery: moving from what was in the realm of science fiction to science fact.” The image was created using radio astronomy. Most radio astronomy is done using large dishes that capture radio waves hitting Earth. But creating an image of the black hole required a telescope quite a bit larger. Researchers needed one the size of our planet. That’s why the Event Horizon Telescope combined measurements from radio observatories on four separate continents. The array is currently made up of sites in North America, South America, Europe, and Antarctica, with other locations being included over its life cycle. When all dishes take measurements at the same time, they can be combined into a conglomeration of data, similar to what’s taken on a smaller scale in radio dishes. (Check out a great explainer video that goes into more detail [here](https://youtu.be/hMsNd1W_lmE).) The information used to make the image revealed today comes primarily from data taken in April 2017. Over the past two years, researchers have worked to turn that information into the clearest image possible by syncing up the measurements taken concurrently around the world. In 2018, an observatory in Chile was added to help create a clearer photo, after the initial results that came back were a tad foggy. The reveal of the image is a huge milestone for the study of black holes. “While we confirmed the existence of black holes and studied their properties in so many ways, nothing beats a direct observation,” University of Southern California professor Clifford Johnson told MIT Technology Review in advance of the announcement. “It’s rather like seeing the shots fired as well as the smoking gun.” Next up, though: figuring out what’s actually going on inside the black hole. This image is a major step toward solving the puzzles of these mysterious objects, but exactly what’s beyond that glow is still a challenge waiting to be solved. Correction: The initial version of this article misstated the location of the galaxy. We have now updated it.
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