First Glimpse of the Black Hole in the Center of our Galaxy

Black holes are mysterious, massive, and wildly powerful, with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape it.

The science behind it is pretty mind boggling, and for those of us without advanced degrees in quantum physics, probably a little daunting to understand.

Some of the mystery is being explained, however, with the first direct image of the Milky Way’s black hole taken this week by the powerful Event Horizon Telescope.

It’s fascinating to see the donut appearance, and the fact that our own galaxy has such a black hole.

From the New York Times:

“Astronomers announced on Thursday that they had pierced the veil of darkness and dust at the center of our Milky Way galaxy to capture the first picture of “the gentle giant” dwelling there: a supermassive black hole, a trapdoor in space-time through which the equivalent of four million suns have been dispatched to eternity, leaving behind only their gravity and violently bent space-time.”