First Image of a Black Hole: Remarkable photo shows astrophysics breakthrough

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A scientific stunner in the headlines Wednesday. As researchers released the first-ever image of a black hole - from a galaxy far, far away. It was the result of years of scientific study and international cooperation. CGTN reporter Lin Nan brings us more on the breakthrough by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.

A groundbreaking moment.

The first-ever image of a black hole was unveiled simultaneously in six cities across the globe, including Shanghai, on Wednesday.

LU RUSHENG, RESEARCHER SHANGHAI ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY "The black hole is in the center of the Galaxy Messier 87, which sits 55 million light-years away from the Earth and has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun."

The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration is behind this ambitious project.

The image is the first direct visual evidence of a supermassive black hole and its shadow.

It would likely please - though not surprise - Albert Einstein, whose General Theory of Relativity, was once again proven correct.

YUAN FENG, RESEARCHER SHANGHAI ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY "The General Theory of Relativity predicted that if there is some glowing gas surrounding the black hole, how it should look like. It was predicted based on theories in the past, and this time we have seen it for real and found it fits the prediction very well."

The collaboration links eight telescopes around the globe to form an Earth-sized virtual telescope with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution. It is the result of years of international collaboration and breakthroughs in technology. 16 scientists from the Chinese mainland, contributing in the observation and theoretical support.

LIN NAN SHANGHAI "Scientists say the successful imaging of the black hole in the Messier 87 is just the beginning of the EHT collaboration. More exciting results are expected from it in the near future. Lin Nan CGTN Shanghai."