The First-Ever Photo of a Black Hole Is Almost Ready. Here's What It Might Look Like

MICHELLE STARR 27 JAN 2019

The year 2019 is here. With it, we've been promised a splendid moment in astronomy. For years, the Event Horizon Telescope has been working to bring us the first ever telescopic photograph of the event horizon of a black hole.

Indeed, for all their popularity in public imagination, we have never actually seen a black hole. And the reason for that is laughably simple.

Black holes, you see, are literally invisible. The pull of their gravity is so immense that, past a certain point, nothing escapes. This includes the electromagnetic radiation - such as X-rays, infrared, light and radio waves - that would allow us to detect the object directly.

That point of no return is called the event horizon, and apart from being a terrifying location you never want to find yourself in, it's also our key to actually visualising a black hole.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/black-hole-event-horizon-accretion-disc-jean-pierre-luminet-event-horizon-telescope