Capturing Our First Ever Image of a Black Hole

This year, we’ll look directly into the abyss

This illustration was created by Jean-Pierre Luminet in 1979. It was made using ink and a computer program and was the first attempt at visualizing black holes. The left side of the black hole is much brighter because it was spinning counter-clockwise, approaching the viewer on the left.

Every picture anyone has ever seen of a black hole has been a depiction, an artist rendering of what we think these giants will look like. Until now, the closest we’ve come to directly sighting a black hole is by observing the effects they have on objects around them — causing stars to orbit at the center of…