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First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole

K. Akiyama · The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (K. Akiyama et al.); large multi-institution collaboration.

Published 10 April 2019 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters · Journal article

Summary

This is the first paper in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) series presenting the first image of a supermassive black hole, located at the center of the galaxy M87. Using global very long baseline interferometry at 1.3 mm, the collaboration resolved a bright ring of emission surrounding a central dark region, the black hole shadow. The observations are consistent with a Kerr black hole of mass about 6.5 billion solar masses.

Key findings

  • Produced the first direct image of a black hole's shadow, in M87.
  • Measured an asymmetric emission ring of about 42 microarcseconds diameter.
  • Inferred a central black hole mass of approximately 6.5 billion solar masses, consistent with general relativity.

Subjects & keywords

Cite this paper

APA

K. Akiyama [The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (K. Akiyama et al.); large multi-institution collaboration.] (2019). First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7

BibTeX
@article{akiyama2019first,
  author    = {K. Akiyama and {The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (K. Akiyama et al.); large multi-institution collaboration.}},
  title     = {First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole},
  journal   = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
  year      = {2019},
  doi       = {10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab0ec7}
}

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