Astronomers image magnetic fields at the edge of M87’s black hole
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, who produced the first ever image of a black hole released in 2019, has today a new view of the massive object at the centre of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy: how it looks in polarised light. This is the first time astronomers have been able to measure polarisation, a signature of magnetic fields, this close to the edge of a black hole. This image shows the polarised view of the black hole in M87. The lines mark the orientation of polarisation, which is related to the magnetic field around the shadow of the black hole. Credit: EHT Collaboration

Astronomers image magnetic fields at the edge of M87’s black hole

14 April, 2021 / Read time: 1 minute

JAO Authors: Ed Fomalont, Hugo Messias | The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration, which produced the first-ever image of a black hole, has revealed a new view of the massive object at the center of the M87 galaxy: how it looks in polarized light. The observations are key to explaining how the M87 galaxy can launch energetic jets from its core.