Event Horizon 'Scope

Getting data from our M87 MOVIE campaign ready for analysis takes many steps, and many hands! From labelling and shipping hard drives to building the pallets that carry them, it’s all part of the behind-the-scenes work that turns EHT observations into science. #M87MOVIE

Ever wanted a black hole in your backyard? Explore M87* in AR, VR, or your browser. Change the black hole parameters to see how they shape what we observe. Try it: blackhole.plav.in/ Special thanks to BHI Fellow Sasha Plavin for creating this incredible visual tool!

Last week, the EHT Collaboration gathered in Seoul, South Korea to explore new horizons (pun intended). Members came together to discuss the latest advances in black hole science, instrumentation, and future observations. Stay tuned; there are exciting results on the horizon!

On set in Sierra Negra, where the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) has been gathering data for the M87 Movie. Perched in front of Pico de Orizaba, the LMT sits in one of the most extreme, high-altitude observing sites on Earth. #M87MOVIE Photo Credit: Andrés Valle

Timelapse of the IRAM 30-meter Telescope on Pico Veleta during a typical night of EHT observations. With its large collecting area and wide-angle optics, it’s one of the most sensitive single dishes in the array. Video credit: Manuel Castillo-Fraile / IRAM 30m #M87Movie

Roll camera at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (@almaobs), Chile. At high altitude with supplemental oxygen, the maintenance crew keeps 66 antennas operating as one system. Every dataset depends on the global network and the teams on the ground. #M87MOVIE

Now filming on location at the top of the world… The Greenland Telescope is helping capture the first-ever movie of supermassive black hole Messier 87. On-site cast (Image #2, L → R): Minchul Kam & Keiichi Asada Remote observing stations: -ASIAA -@CenterForAstro #M87MOVIE

Long observing nights have their pros... A starry night over the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) in the French Alps as the #M87MOVIE campaign unfolds! Photo credit: M. Berenger, IRAM-NOEMA

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. 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. 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! cbc.ca/radio/quirks/black-ho…