June 20, 2022
First image of the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way

Maunakea Observatories Contribute to the First-Ever Image of the Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way

Observations from the James Clerk Maxwell telescope and the Submillimeter Array, both located on Maunakea, contributed to the production of the first-ever image of the shadow of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy, by the “Event Horizon Telescope”. This incredibly challenging observation builds on the more than 20-year history of studies of the Galactic Center […]
July 21, 2021
SMA Centaurus A

Zooming into the Heart of Centaurus A

Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope (of which two Maunakea observatories are a part) have zoomed into the heart of Centaurus A for the first time — at the center of which lies a black hole with the mass of 55 million suns. Read more, in the Submillimeter Array press release.
March 29, 2021
A view of the M87 supermassive black hole in polarized light

New light on Pōwehi: Magnetic Fields at the Edge of M87’s Black Hole

Two Maunakea telescopes, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), and the Submillimeter Array (SMA), have once again combined efforts with the global “Event Horizon Telescope” network to produce a view of Pōwehi, the Black Hole at the Center of the galaxy M87. The new results show the black hole in new light – specifically, polarized light. This enables astronomers, for […]
September 25, 2020

Event Horizon Telescope Captures Black Hole Changing over Time

In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope produced the first-ever image of a black hole. The object, located in the center of the galaxy M87, was given the Hawai`ian name of Pōwehi. Its image appeared as a ring with a bright crescent edge, produced by photons orbiting around the black hole. To make these images, this unique telescope uses a […]