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The first black hole portrait got sharper thanks to machine learning

The technique could help scientists get a better handle on the behemoth’s mass

Two photos of the same black hole in M87 side by side. The image on the left is the original and appears to be a fuzzy black center with a ring of orange around it. The image on the right is similar but clearly a dark circle in the middle with an orange ring around it.

Scientists used machine learning to create a sharper image of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87 (right), compared with the original image (left).

L. Medeiros et al 2023

By Emily Conover

If the first image of a black hole looked like a fuzzy doughnut, this one is a thin onion ring.

Using a machine learning technique, scientists have sharpened the portrait of the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87, revealing a thinner halo of glowing gas than seen previously.