Time-lapse of 1st black hole ever imaged reveals how matter swirls around it

How much does a black hole change in a year? Scientists may now have an idea, after taking a fresh look at the first-ever black hole to be imaged — the supermassive black hole M87*, , which resides at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy. Having previously observed the bright halo of matter whipping around the black hole at near-light-speeds, the team now takes an even closer look at the movement of material within that halo.

The new observations, taken with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), provide the most detailed, real-time look yet at how matter swirls around supermassive black holes. The findings were published Jan. 22 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.