# Lounge > Science and Technology >  >  Black hole imaged for first time by event horizon telescope

## Sagan

Article Updated: 15 Apr , 2017by Matt Williams 




For decades, scientists have held that Supermassive Black Holes  (SMBHs) reside at the center of larger galaxies. These reality-bending  points in space exert a extremely powerful influence on all things that  surround them, consuming matter and spitting out a tremendous amount of  energy. But given their nature, all attempts to study them has been  confined to indirect methods. 

All of that changed beginning on Wednesday, April 12th, 2017, when  an international team of astronomers obtained the first-ever image of a  Sagittarius A*. Using a series of telescopes from around the globe ?  collectively known as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) ? they were able  to visualize the  mysterious region around this giant black hole from  which matter and energy cannot escape ? i.e. the event horizon. 

Not only is this the first time that this mysterious region around a  black hole has been imaged, it is also the most extreme test of  Einstein?s Theory of General Relativity ever attempted. It also  represents the culmination of the EHT project, which was established  specifically for the purpose of studying black holes directly and  improving our understanding of them. 

Since it began capturing data in 2006, the EHT has been dedicated to  the study of Sagitarrius A* since it is the nearest SMBH in the known  Universe ? located about 25,000 light years from Earth. Specifically,  scientists hoped to determine if black holes are surrounded by a  circular region from which matter and energy cannot escape (which is  predicted by General Relativity), and how they accrete matter onto  themselves. 

More: 

https://www.universetoday.com/134996/black-hole-imaged-first-time-event-horizon-telescope/

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## HypnoticTrance

Super cool. Thanks for posting.

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## Ironman

I am afraid to look at it; I might get sucked in.

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## SpaceMermaid

Thanks for this.

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## SpaceMermaid

> Thanks for this.



Just found out this is fake, sorry guys, it's an artist's rendition

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## Sagan

Yes the image posted is an artist illustration/simulation

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