# Black hole imaged for the first time! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364 "2019-04-10T22:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/1 "2019-04-10T22:25:52Z")
So the astronomer community imaged a black hole for the first time. It basically looks like a space donut viewed face-on. The lower half of the donut looks much brighter than the upper half, which is perhaps relativistic material moving towards us along the line of sight. Not to understate the feat of imaging a black hole, but it is sort of underwhelming. No cool gravitational lensing effects, such as background starlight bent around the hole. Apparently this black hole does not have polar jets either. The event horizon is sort of oblong-shaped, perhaps due to rapid rotation? Too hazy to be sure. But its cool, and I hope better images are coming. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/2 "2019-04-10T22:34:18Z")
Black hole sun Won’t you come Won’t you come… I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/3 "2019-04-10T22:36:19Z")
Is there a link somewhere? I mean, I’m sure I can google it, but wouldn’t it be nice to have it in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/4 "2019-04-10T23:03:19Z")
> **[This is humanity’s first look at a supermassive black hole](https://www.cnet.com/science/first-black-hole-picture-a-breakthrough-look-from-across-the-universe/)** > > The Event Horizon Telescope captures one of the most powerful objects in existence. And basically, it's the Eye of Sauron. There it is. ---
**Author:** ![Meme\_Chose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Meme\_Chose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meme_Chose)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/5 "2019-04-10T23:04:03Z")
the Veritasium channel on YouTube has the photos, with explanations of the effects. There is also a video where he explains (before the publication of the photos) what it might look like, and why. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/6 "2019-04-10T23:23:06Z")
As I say in this thread, it was immortalized in a Google Doodle – the first case I know of where they changed the Google logo to a new doodle partway through the day [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=873858](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=873858) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/7 "2019-04-10T23:47:01Z")
I refuse to look directly at it. I don’t trust that my soul won’t get drawn into it in horrific fashion. ---
**Author:** ![soonerblue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soonerblue/32/3302_2.png) [@soonerblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soonerblue)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/8 "2019-04-11T00:00:10Z")
Uh-oh, looks like it’s smiling! ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/9 "2019-04-11T01:15:58Z")
> [@soonerblue](#): > > Uh-oh, looks like it’s smiling! And seems to have a couple teeth missing 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/10 "2019-04-11T01:36:12Z")
I still maintain it looks like a Krispy Kreme donut (and I will not hear any complaints from the Dunkin’ Donuts heretics…) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/11 "2019-04-11T01:47:19Z")
I think the event horizon would be a tiny point in the middle of the photo, and the reason we see a light ring around a dark middle is that we’re seeing the accretion disk. Also, there are jets, one pointed almost at us and one pointed almost straight away from us. The jets would be perpendicular to the plane of the accretion disk. At least, that’s how I understand the photo. Anybody who knows better, please correct me! ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/12 "2019-04-11T02:52:08Z")
Maybe I got that wrong… > **[Scientists Unveil First Black Hole Image](https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/black-holes/scientists-unveil-first-black-hole-image/)** > > The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration has reconstructed the shadow of a supermassive black hole. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/13 "2019-04-11T03:09:24Z")
The thing about this that I find the most amazing is that until now, black holes were essentially theoretical, even though virtually all astronomers by now acknowledged that they existed. But history records strong undercurrents of opposition, perhaps most famously from Arthur Eddington, who claimed that no such thing could exist in nature. But if it did, it would indeed be black and absorb everything forever, but in most cases it would be surrounded by intense radiation caused by extremely hot infalling matter orbiting at enormous speeds. And this picture says: “there it is!”. Rumor was that there was also going to be a picture of the supermassive black hole at the center of our own galaxy, but AIUI ours is relatively quiescent so there might not be very much to see or to contrast against the black disk. Apparently the hope is that as more telescopes come online, more refined images will be produced. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/14 "2019-04-11T03:20:45Z")
I believe the article said it weighed six billions times that of our sun. They must have a huge scale in order to weigh it. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/15 "2019-04-11T05:22:45Z")
[XKCD has a size comparison](https://xkcd.com/2135/) of the M87 black hole to our own solar system - and the rough position of Voyager, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/16 "2019-04-11T05:35:44Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [XKCD has a size comparison](https://xkcd.com/2135/) of the M87 black hole to our own solar system - and the rough position of Voyager, as well. Uh oh. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/17 "2019-04-11T06:05:26Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > [XKCD has a size comparison](https://xkcd.com/2135/) of the M87 black hole to our own solar system - and the rough position of Voyager, as well. > [@Voyager](#): > > Uh oh. > > 😃 Hah! And dude, I want your internet connection. 13 minutes see and respond to the post, from beyond the solar system! ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/18 "2019-04-11T07:22:31Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The thing about this that I find the most amazing is that until now, black holes were essentially theoretical, even though virtually all astronomers by now acknowledged that they existed. I think you’re right but there is a misperception many have so I’ll speak to that here: There was already heaps of evidence for black holes, and they had been “imaged” in various ways, just not in ways that the general public would find intuitive. And, like all good science, the black hole hypothesis has made many predictions/inferences and been verified countless times. The data behind this image is very useful to astronomers and cosmologists, but in terms of confirmation that black holes really exist it’s another drop in a very full bucket. > [@University of Arizona astronomy professor Dan Marrone](#): > > the data that went into creating it is actually equal to the amount of selfies 40,000 people might take in their lifetimes 40,000 people like me? That’s really not an impressive stat. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/19 "2019-04-11T08:21:14Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I think you’re right but there is a misperception many have so I’ll speak to that here: > > There was already heaps of evidence for black holes, and they had been “imaged” in various ways, just not in ways that the general public would find intuitive. > And, like all good science, the black hole hypothesis has made many predictions/inferences and been verified countless times. > > The data behind this image is very useful to astronomers and cosmologists, but in terms of confirmation that black holes really exist it’s another drop in a very full bucket. > > 40,000 people like me? That’s really not an impressive stat. IANAS, but I’d say more like evidence that ‘event horizons’ exist. What lies inside an event horizon is hardly a settled science. Hypotheses range from quark stars / other exotic stars to regular singularities. But they would all have a black event horizon. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364/20 "2019-04-11T12:11:00Z")
> [@mandala](#): > > IANAS, but I’d say more like evidence that ‘event horizons’ exist. What lies inside an event horizon is hardly a settled science. Hypotheses range from quark stars / other exotic stars to regular singularities. But they would all have a black event horizon. I am sure an actual scientist will show up shortly, but I don’t think this is correct. e.g. we know the mass of sagittarius A from the effect on nearby stars, and if it were a quark star, say, that star should collapse into a black hole. And the energies of, say, quasars or neutron stars merging into a black hole are what the models of black holes predict, and not what we would expect from stars. Of course we could always argue “maybe there’s another strange kind of star responsible for this phenomenon” but you can always throw out a maybe like that. But in science we gain confidence in models as they make verified predictions, and the black hole hypothesis has done that. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-hole-imaged-for-the-first-time/832364.md?page=2)