The M87 Black Hole Image - Beginner's One Pager
Welcome to my corner of the ancient world. I'm Jay Penner — bestselling author of historical fiction set in ancient Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia, and India.
On 10th April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope released the first ever image of a Black Hole - the monster that lurks at the heart of the M87 galaxy, 54 million light years away.
I love this kind of stuff! To think of it, what we see here is something as it was 54 million years ago.
There have been many articles with lots of details, but I figured a single, simple one-pager would be helpful for many trying to make sense of the image.
So, without further ado, here it is:
Source Links
Astrophysical Journal Letters (see all team members’ names here)
Further Reading
- How Long Did It Take? 10 Ancient Historical Facts — Hannibal spent 15 years in Italy. Spartacus fought for 2 years. Cleopatra ruled for 22. Time puts ancient history in a whole new perspective.
- Did Aliens Build the Pyramids? No—Here's Why — Every era produces brilliant people. Ancient pyramids, ziggurats, and temples were built by humans—not aliens—and our ancestors were anything but dumb.
- Where's My Gold? A Babylonian King's Complaint to Pharaoh — Babylonian King Burnaburias wrote to Pharaoh Akhenaten around 1350 B.C.—complaining about missing gold, inadequate gifts, and a health check he never got.
- Wait, What? — Bust some wild social-media claims about the ancient world.
Whispers of Atlantis ● 9 of 9
Lost cities. Buried armies. Ancient secrets. Seven thrilling tales where fact meets fiction.
Wait, What?
Let's bust those Facebook fantasies!
"The best book I've read in a long time." ★★★★★
Explore the series →
Whispers of Atlantis ● 1 of 9
Lost cities. Buried armies. Ancient secrets. Seven thrilling tales where fact meets fiction.
The Atlantis Papyrus
A stolen scroll. A thousand-year-old secret. An impossible choice.
"The best book I've read in a long time." ★★★★★
Explore the series → 
Cleopatra ● 1 of 5
Regent at seventeen. Queen at twenty-one. Legend forever. The saga of Cleopatra.
Regent
Some wells have poisoned waters.
"Outstanding... truly great read!" ★★★★★
Explore the series →
Spartacus ● 1 of 3
Soldier. Slave. Legend. The astonishing tale of the man who shook Rome.
Soldier
For Honor. For Vengeance. Or For Rome?
"Absolutely brilliant..." ★★★★★
Explore the series →
Hannibal ● 1 of 3
Vengeance, war, and impossible love forged in the fires of Hannibal's war on Rome.
The Mist of Trasimene
The deadliest spear is the one thrust from behind.
"Amazing author... amazing series!" ★★★★★
Explore the series →
Dark Shadows ● 1 of 2
Ancient ambition. Cutting-edge terror. A modern thriller series where conspiracy meets technology.
The Weave
Some conspiracies go deeper than politics.
"Scary how realistic some of this is! Fantastic book." ★★★★★
Explore the series →
About the Author
Jay Penner's highly-rated books regularly feature Amazon's category bestseller lists. Try his Spartacus, Cleopatra, Whispers of Atlantis, Hannibal or Dark Shadows books.