Astronomers Capture First Image of Farthest Active Supermassive Black Hole
Astronomers have captured the first image of both the accretion ring and relativistic jet of the black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy. Using the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA), supplemented by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Greenland Telescope (GLT), the image reveals a larger, thicker ring-like structure, indicating observable emission from material falling into the black hole. This breakthrough provides new insights into the physical processes near black holes and the connection between accretion and jet formation.