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

Abstract When surrounded by a transparent emission region, black holes are expected to reveal a dark shadow caused by gravitational light bending and photon capture at the event horizon. To image and study this phenomenon, we have assembled the Event Horizon Telescope, a global very long baseline interferometry array observing at a wavelength of 1.3 mm. This allows us to reconstruct event-horizon-scale images of the supermassive black hole candidate in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. We have resolved the central compact radio source as an asymmetric bright emission ring with a diameter of 42 ± 3 μ as, which is circular and encompasses a central depression in brightness with a flux ratio ≳10:1.…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: AST-1312651, 1207704, 11633006, 1144085, AST-1615796, 1140030, DGE-1144085, 1440254, AST-0705062, 1248097, 1310896, 1715061, 0096454, 0705062, 11573051, AST-1715061, AST-1716327, 0905844, AST-1207730, 1207730, 1337663, AST-1207704, 1614868, 11721303, 0521233, AST-1140030, AST-0521233, 1312651, 1615796, AST-0905844, 1743747, 1228509, AST-1614868, 0922984, 11650110427, AST-1337663, MRI-1228509, AST-0352953, AST-1440254, AST-1310896, 10625314, AST-1207752, 1126433, AST-1816420, AST-0096454, 11725312, 1816420, AST-1555365, OPP-1248097, AST-0922984, 0352953, 1716327, AST-1126433, OISE-1743747, 1207752
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration

  Awards: 2016YFA0400702, 80NSSC17K0649
• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

  Awards: GBMF-5278, GBMF-3561
• NR
  National Radio Astronomy Observatory
• IM
  International Max Planck Research School for Environmental, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology
• LT
  Leverhulme Trust
• NR
  National Research Foundation

  Awards: NRF-2015H1D3A1066561, NRF-2015H1A2A1033752
• DO
  Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
• MO
  Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

  Awards: 25120007, 18H01245, JP17J08829
• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 11873073, 11650110427, U1531245, 11633006, 11873028, 11573051, 11725312, 2016YFA0400704, 11721303, 2016YFA0400702
• CA
  Chinese Academy of Sciences

  Awards: QYZDJ-SSW-SLH057, 2016YFA0400702, QYZDJ-SSW-SYS008, 11721303
• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Award: 639.043.513
• GV
  Generalitat Valenciana

  Awards: APOSTD/2018, APOSTD/2018/177
• NS
  Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
• NR
  National Research Foundation of Korea

  Awards: 2015H1D3A1066561, NRF-2015H1D3A1066561, 2015-R1D1A1A01056807, NRF-2015H1A2A1033752, 2015H1A2A1033752
• M
  Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
• RP
  Recruitment Program of Global Experts
• IN
  Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
• NS
  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• JS
  Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

  Awards: JP18H03721, JP17J08829, JP18K13594, JP18K03656, 610058, 18KK0090, 18K03709, 25120007, 18H01245
• DG
  Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

  Award: IN112417
• NI
  National Institutes of Natural Sciences
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Awards: 2016YFA0400704, 2016YFA0400702
• OO
  Office of International Science and Engineering

  Award: 1743747