Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

That Photo Of A Black Hole Is Reminding People Of Some Things That Are Definitely Not Black Holes

That Photo Of A Black Hole Is Reminding People Of Some Things That Are Definitely Not Black Holes
National Science Foundation, @RaymondArroyo/Twitter

After decades of speculation and CGI renderings, scientists released the first real image of a black hole on Wednesday.

At least that's what they told us it was, but Twitter had some other ideas.


Up until yesterday, the only images we had of black holes were illustrations or computer renderings based on the little we knew about the celestial phenomenons.

Which isn't surprising, because how exactly does one take a picture of an infinitely dense object from which no light can escape?

Well scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope found a way.

On Wednesday members from the EHT team and the National Science Foundation unveiled the first ever recorded image of a black hole.

Using radio telescopes stationed around the world synchronized with an atomic clock the the EHT team gathered trillions of bits of data to form the image of the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87.

It was something no human had ever seen.

So that's what a black hole looks like?

Huh.

Kinda blurry.

Being used to stylized renderings from NASA and the the pretty pretty lights in movies like Interstellar the somewhat blurry image might not have been what many expected a black hole to look like, but that's what you get with a #nofilter image of an object 54 million light years away.

But the importance of the image wasn't lost on Twitter.



Even if it was a bit...fuzzy.


Twitter being Twitter though, it didn't take long before the solemnity of the moment wore off and people started memeing about what the image actually reminded them of.












In fact some were convinced they had taken the exact same photo before.





Of course with an image that looked like a giant, fiery eyeball in the sky we all knew the one comparison that would eventually have to be made.




Though the images might not match our expectations quite yet, actually seeing a black hole for the first time is a tremendous step forward thanks to those on the EHT team, including Dr. Katie Bouman.


After astronomers gathered 5 petabytes of data on the black hole Dr. Bouman's team turned that data into the historic image we now see.

Let's just hope they turn the auto focus on for the next picture though.

More from Trending

Bowen Yang
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Hennessy

Bowen Yang Offers Hilariously NSFW Clapback After Troll Questions Why He's Grand Marshal Of NYC Pride

One good thing about trolling comedians, they always know exactly how to respond.

New York City Pride recently announced the Grand Marshals for its annual Pride parade, scheduled for June 28.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Claps Back With Blistering Reality Check After Trump Shares Meme Of Newsom As A Zombie

On Sunday, May 17, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump went on a posting spree on Truth Social. Between 4:02pm and 4:54pm, Trump posted or reposted 32 times—much of it "AI slop"—like a child with a new toy.

The POTUS had just returned from a trip to China where pundits opined Chinese President Xi Jinping walked him like a dog, openly mocking him multiple times.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD Vance
Eric Lee-Pool/Getty Images

JD Vance Gets Blunt Reminder After Telling Voters To Oust The 'Crazy Leadership In Washington'

Vice President JD Vance received a blunt reminder after urging voters—with no sense of irony whatsoever—to "vote against the crazy leadership in Washington, D.C.," in the midterms later this year.

Speaking at a manufacturing plant in Missouri, Vance was touting President Donald Trump’s economic agenda and trying to energize supporters ahead of the midterm elections when he appeared to misspeak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Lee
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

MAGA Senator Gets Epic Reality Check After Sharing Photos Of Four Black Congressmen To Prove GOP 'Is NOT The Party Of Jim Crow'

Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee was given a dose of reality after sharing an image of four Black Republican House members to claim that the GOP "is NOT the party of Jim Crow," only for people to point out there was a glaring issue with his declaration.

Lee posted images of Representatives Wesley Hunt (R-TX), John James (R-MI), Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Burgess Owens (R-UT), apparently intending it as a political flex. He failed to note, however, that all four are departing the House after this year, without any Black Republicans to fill their shoes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Henry Winkler (left) and Elon Musk (right) have publicly clashed over the role of empathy in modern society.
Emerson College/YouTube; Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images

Henry Winkler Pushes Back On Elon Musk's Claim That America Has Too Much 'Empathy' In Must-See Commencement Speech

For generations of television viewers, Henry Winkler has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most universally beloved figures. Now, the Happy Days icon is using that platform to push back against one of Silicon Valley’s most controversial voices, delivering a commencement message that directly challenged Elon Musk’s criticism of empathy.

The ceremony was held on May 9 at Boston's Wang Theatre. Winkler, who graduated from Emerson College in 1967, delivered an inspiring and humorous eight-minute speech focused on perseverance, self-belief, and recognizing one's unique gifts.

Keep ReadingShow less