Event Horizon Telescope sees the magnetic engine behind a supermassive black hole's immense power

In 2019, astronomers stunned the world, releasing an epic image of material swirling around the supermassive black hole in the core of the galaxy M87 55 million light years from Earth. They connected radio telescopes from around the planet to create the Event Horizon Telescope, a virtual telescope mimicking the power of a telescope the size of our planet, to achieve this amazing observation.

More observations also showed the material around the black hole changed in brightness, even as the ring...