Fifty-five million light years from Earth there is a massive elliptical galaxy known as Messier 87, or M87 for short. It was cataloged by Charles Messier in the 1700s, along with 102 other fuzzy objects in the sky that were definitely not comets. It was confirmed to be a galaxy in the early 1900s, and by the mid-twentieth century, it was known to be a powerful radio source. But these days it is most widely known for the supermassive black hole deep in its core. Called M87*, it is the first black hole directly observed by astronomers. The first image of M87* was released in 2019, and was based on observations taken by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) in 2017. Now a new image based on 2018 data has been released. The similarities and differences between the two images tell us a great deal about M87* and black holes in general.
Space News & Blog Articles
This Strange-Looking Galaxy is Actually Two. And They're Merging
This strange-looking galaxy seems to be a spiral with a long tidal tail stretching away. It’s known as Arp 122, and it’s actually not just one galaxy, but two separate galaxies. NGC 6040 is the warped spiral galaxy seen edge-on, while LEDA 59642 is the round, face-on spiral. The two are colliding about 540 million light-years from Earth, and it gives us a preview of the Milky Way’s future collision with Andromeda.
China's Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft burns up in Earth's atmosphere
China deorbited its robotic Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft today (Jan. 19) after it completed its mission serving the country's space station.
Japan's 'Moon Sniper' probe lands on moon, but suffers power problem
Japan's SLIM lander touched down on the moon today (Jan. 19), notching a huge success for the nation. But SLIM's life may be quite short, as its solar panels aren't working.
The Ice Sheet on Mars is Even Thicker Than Previously Believed
Maybe Mars isn’t as dry as we thought. ESA’s Mars Express has revealed new details about a region near Mars’ equator that could contain a massive deposit of water ice several kilometers deep. If it is indeed ice, there is enough of it in this one deposit that if melted, water would cover the entire planet up to 2.7 meters (almost 9 feet) deep.
Should I buy a cheap beginner drone to build my flight skills?
The advantages and disadvantages of buying a cheap drone to develop flight skills with recommendations for all budgets.
Watch NASA test revolutionary new rotating detonation rocket engine (video)
Venus Aerospace partners with NASA to advance hypersonic engine reliability and efficiency through a revolutionary new rotating detonation rocket engine.
Use the moon to find Uranus in the night sky tonight
A bright moon will help point the way towards Uranus on Friday (Jan. 19). The blue-green planet will be located just below and to the right of the eight-day-old moon.
'I.S.S.' filmmakers ground suspense thriller in realistic surroundings
There are scenes in the movie 'I.S.S.' that could be mistaken for NASA footage. And that's a good thing, because if you title your movie 'I.S.S.', then you better match the ISS on which it is based.
2nd image of 1st black hole ever pictured confirms Einstein's general relativity (photo)
A second image of the first black hole ever pictured by humanity, the supermassive black hole in M87, taken one year later shows its shadow persists just as Einstein predicted.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 19 – 28
Jupiter shines high, bright, and obvious after dusk. Mercury and Mars glimmer low, dim, and elusive for their close conjunction in the dawn.
Earth from Space: Columbia Glacier, Alaska
Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, one of the fastest changing glaciers in the world.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander ends mission in fiery reentry
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander captured by a camera mounted onboard the lander on its second day in space. Image: Astrobotic
The first U.S. lander bound for the Moon since 1972 burned up in Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday. The unfortunate ending for Astrobotic’s spacecraft was deemed the most responsible choice given its hopes of reaching the Moon were dashed less than a day after it launched.
SpaceX delays Falcon 9 rocket launch from California to Friday
File: A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch a Starlink mission. Image: SpaceX
SpaceX scrubbed a Starlink delivery mission by Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday and rescheduled the launch from California for Friday. The Starlink 7-11 mission now scheduled for launch at 6:15 p.m. PST (9:15 p.m. EST (0215 UTC).
Astrobotic loses contact with hobbled Peregrine moon lander
Astrobotic lost contact with its Peregrine moon lander on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 18), suggesting that the troubled probe crashed to Earth over the South Pacific as expected.
SpaceX to launch 22 Starlink satellites from California on Friday
SpaceX is poised to launch 22 Starlink satellites on Friday (Jan. 19) on the company's second mission in two days after the Ax-3 private astronaut flight.
Falcon 9 boosts Axiom crew into space for commercial visit to ISS
A Falcon 9 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center carrying an international crew on a commercial mission to the space station. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.
After months of training and detailed planning, the most international crew yet to visit the International Space Station blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday to kick off a two-week research mission, the third fully commercial flight to the orbital outpost.
A Biocatalytic Reactor for Detoxifying Water on Mars!
Mars is the next frontier of human space exploration, with NASA, China, and SpaceX all planning to send crewed missions there in the coming decades. In each case, the plans consist of establishing habitats on the surface that will enable return missions, cutting-edge research, and maybe even permanent settlements someday. While the idea of putting boots on Martian soil is exciting, a slew of challenges need to be addressed well in advance. Not the least of which is the need to locate sources of water, which consist largely of subsurface deposits of water ice.
Satellites watch Iceland volcano spew lava towards fishing village (photo)
The tiny Icelandic town of Grindavík lies under threat from a lava flow, imaged from space by a satellite.
SpaceX launches private Ax-3 mission to ISS, 1st Turkish astronaut on board
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida today (Jan. 18), sending four people, including Turkey's first astronaut, toward the ISS.
