New Images of M87's Black Hole Show its Changing Magnetic Field | ESO

New Images of M87's Black Hole Show its Changing Magnetic Field | ESO

In 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)—a worldwide network of radio-telescopes—observed the supermassive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, leading to the first ever image of a black hole, released in 2019. Now, using observations from 2017, 2018 and 2021, astronomers have found changes in this now iconic image that could be caused by variations in the magnetic field around the black hole.

Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Directed by: Luis Calçada
Hosted by: Suzanna Randall, Violette Impellizzeri 
Written by: Suzanna Randall
Editing: Martin Kornmesser
Videography: Angelos Tsaousis   
Footage and photos: ESO, EHT Collaboration, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, N. Risinger, P. Horálek, DSS2, ESA/Hubble, RadioAstron, De Gasperin et al., Kim et al., Jean-Pierre Luminet, Weih/Fromm/Younsi/Rezzolla, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Animations & Infographics:  Luis Calçada, Martin Kornmesser
Scientific consultants: Violette Impellizzeri
Acknowledgements: Paul Tiede, Michael Janssen
Produced by European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Release Date: Sept. 16, 2025

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