It may not seem like much, but it is a real step forward in our knowledge of our universe! This photo was taken using the EHT (Event Horizon Telescope) and it took more than two years of work to achieve this result.
The EHT project consists of a network of 8 telescopes spread around the world whose final objective is more than ambitious since it seeks in particular to test the theory of general relativity. By combining these telescopes, the researchers managed to reproduce the equivalent of a radio telescope several thousand kilometers in diameter (equivalent to the size of our good old Earth).
The black hole itself – a cosmic trap from which neither light nor matter can escape – is invisible. The image therefore shows a halo of dust and gas, tracing the outline of a colossal black hole, at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87, 55 million light-years from Earth.
Black holes remain a great enigma for scientists. For Shepherd Doeleman, Director of the EHT:
Black holes are the most mysterious objects in the universe. We saw what we thought was invisible. We took a picture of a black hole.
In short, this is a major advance in the field of astronomy, which should allow us to make other important advances in the fields of physics... but the road remains long and strewn with pitfalls!
Below is a video in English that explains the EHT project:
Article updated on September 15, 2025 by Byothe
