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Astronomy

Imaging Supermassive Black Hole Shadows with Interferometry

Quick fact

To image the shadow of a supermassive black hole, astronomers used a technique called interferometry, combining radio telescopes across the globe to achieve the resolution of an Earth-sized telescope. This allowed them to see details as small as a grapefruit on the Moon's surface.

Why this is interesting

We all know that nothing, not even light, escapes a black hole. So how did scientists manage to 'see' the black hole at the center of galaxy M87?