EU-funded scientists unveil first ever image of a black hole

Summary:

The first ever image of a black hole was taken by Event Horizon Telescope, a global scientific collaboration involving scientists funded by the European Union (EU). The image was published on 10 April 2019.

Further information:

The first ever observation of a black hole is the result of the large scale international research collaboration Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). The achievement marked a paradigm shift in our understanding of black holes, confirmed the predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and opened up new lines of enquiry into our universe. The first image of a black hole successfully captured was unveiled in six simultaneous press conferences across the globe.

EU funding through the European Research Council (ERC) provided support to the EHT. In particular, the EU provided funding for three of the leading scientists and their teams involved in the discovery, as well as supported the development and upgrading of the large telescope infrastructure essential to the success of the project.

• Primary Source

Commentary and Analysis

Euro|topics, April 2019: First photo of a black hole https://www.eurotopics.net/en/218176/

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News

Politico, 10/04/2019: World peers into black hole ‘gate of hell’ (and it’s not Brexit) https://www.politico.eu/article/world-peers-into-black-hole-gate-of-hell-and-its-not-brexit/

Reuters, 10/04/2019: 'Seeing the unseeable': Scientists reveal first photo of black hole https://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKKCN1RM1OP

The Guardian, 10/04/2019: Black hole picture captured for first time in space breakthrough https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/10/black-hole-picture-captured-for-first-time-in-space-breakthrough

BBC News, 10/04/2019: First ever black hole image released https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47873592

BBC News, 11/04/2019: Katie Bouman: The woman behind the first black hole image https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47891902

TIME, 11/04/2019: Meet Katie Bouman, One Woman Who Helped Make the World's First Image of a Black Hole http://time.com/5568063/katie-bouman-first-image-black-hole/

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