Snow in Hawaiʻi? That’s showbiz, baby.
On Maunakea, Submillimeter Array (SMA) antennas are rolling for the M87* MOVIE campaign- working through ice, wind, and snow.
Mahalo to our Hawaiʻi colleagues braving the elements!
Photo credit: Leslie Shirkey
#M87MOVIE
Lights, camera… submillimeter action.
Image 1: The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Maunakea, observing for the M87* MOVIE campaign.
Image 2: The observing team on opening night- running the show behind the scenes.
#M87MOVIE
🔤 EHT A-Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 Z is for Zoom
The final letter in our A-Z - with all we have learned, we have the tools to Zoom onto a black hole!
Unexpected EHT intern alert!
This bird had gotten lost in the fog and appeared at the IRAM 30-m control room door- more than 1,500 meters above its usual habitat.
After a brief "internship," it was safely released back into nature the next morning.
#M87MOVIE
🔤 EHT A-Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 Y is for Years of Observations
The EHT has observed its targets across multiple years.
Together, these data help us track how black holes evolve over time.
Watch one of the telescopes behind the M87 MOVIE campaign in action - the IRAM 30-meter telescope, located at nearly 3,000 meters high, near Pico Veleta in the Sierra Nevada, Spain.
📸 Credit: Manuel Castillo
#M87Movie
Five years ago this week, we released the first polarized image of the black hole in M87*, revealing the structure of magnetic fields at the edge of a black hole.
Just six months ago, new results from 2018 and 2021 showed something incredible- the environment around M87* is evolving.
Eleven telescopes.
Countless scientists, engineers, and operators.
One goal: a movie of the black hole in M87.
The M87 MOVIE campaign is now underway.
Participating telescopes:
ALMA • APEX • GLT • JCMT• KP12M • KVN • LMT • NOEMA • PV30M • SMA • SMT
Follow along as the campaign unfolds.
#M87Movie
EHT scientists Sera Markoff & Vincent Fish were recently interviewed on Quirks & Quarks, a Canadian science story broadcast. Listen to the conversation to learn how the EHT is working toward creating videos of black holes!
www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks...
We're happy to announce a newly signed agreement for the construction of the Africa Millimeter Telescope (AMT). This will open great possibilities for astronomy on the African continent and make black hole images even sharper!
#astronomy #blackholes #EHT #AMT #africa
Learn more in this video from the Chandra Observatory: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPW...
🔤 EHT A-Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 X is for X-ray Emission
Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center, emits X-rays. Astronomers often observe X-ray flares when the emission suddenly brightens.
🔤 EHT A-Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 W is for Water Vapor
Our atmosphere sustains life, but water vapor absorbs the faint radio signals from black holes.
That’s why our telescopes typically sit on high, dry mountaintops.
🔤 EHT A-Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 V is for VLBI
VLBI stands for Very Long Baseline Interferometry.
By connecting radio telescopes around the world, we can resolve the shadow of a black hole.
🔤 EHT A-Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 U is for Universe
The observable universe contains trillions of galaxies, most thought to host a supermassive black hole.
Today we mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by acknowledging the invaluable work of the many women in the EHT - some of them highlighted in this recent conference photo.
Contributions cover all aspects needed to advance our understanding of black holes.
#WomanInSTEM
🔤EHT A–Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 T is for Time Variability
Signals from material around a black hole change over time.
By tracking these changes, scientists can uncover the extreme physics near black holes.
Previously, we could not connect the bright ring of emission in M87 with the jet seen at larger scales.
In a new study published today, a team of EHT scientists led by Saurabh found evidence of the jet base using new 2021 data that included additional telescopes.
Want to help expand black hole imaging into space?
The Black Hole Explorers (BHEX) program is now accepting applications from undergraduate students.
Be sure to apply by February 15th, 2026! www.blackholeexplorer.org/internships
Watch a new animation showing the twisting magnetic fields near the supermassive binary black hole candidate OJ 287 here! www.youtube.com/watch?si=V6l...
A team of EHT scientists led by J.-L. Gómez, I. Cho and E. Traianou has now published striking new images of OJ 287, where the interplay between traveling shocks and instabilities in the jet plasma shows remarkable polarization patterns.
Credit: EHT Collaboration | Figure: E. Traianou
The EHT Collaboration recognizes outstanding contributions through the 6th Annual EHT Early Career & Outstanding PhD Awards.
Featured here are two 2025 Outstanding PhD Theses recipients: Dominic Chang and Aristomenis Yfantis. Congrats to all!
The EHT Collaboration recognizes outstanding contributions through the 6th Annual EHT Early Career & Outstanding PhD Awards.
Featured here are two 2025 Outstanding PhD Theses recipients: Marianna Foschi and Rohan Dahale. Congrats to all!
EHT Deputy Project Scientist Dr. Kazunori Akiyama (@kazuakiyama.bsky.social) has received a £4M Faraday Discovery Fellowship. The project, TomoGrav, will deliver the first dynamic 3D views of plasma around black holes.
Read more: eventhorizontelescope.org/news/2025/12...
The EHT Collaboration recognizes outstanding contributions through the 6th Annual EHT Early Career & Outstanding PhD Awards.
Featured here are two 2025 Early Career Research & Leadership Award recipients: Hendrik Müller and León Sosapanta Salas. Congrats to all!
The EHT Collaboration recognizes outstanding contributions through the 6th Annual EHT Early Career & Outstanding PhD Awards.
Featured here are two 2025 Early Career Research & Leadership Award recipients: Koushik Chatterjee and Britton Jeter. Congrats to all!
The EHT Collaboration recognizes outstanding contributions through the 6th Annual EHT Early Career & Outstanding PhD Awards.
Featured here are two 2025 Early Career Research & Leadership Award recipients: Rohan Dahale and Sasha Plavin. Congrats to all!
