How do you film a black hole in action?

Muzammil Hussain March 13, 2026

A side-by-side photo of a radio telescope and a black hole

Astronomers are capturing the first-ever video of a black hole using radio telescopes set up all over the world. Bob McDonald, host of Quirks and Quarks, explains what we could learn about the supermassive black hole at the heart of Messier 87 galaxy that's about 50 million light-years from Earth.

Astronomers are capturing the first-ever video of a black hole using radio telescopes set up all over the world. Bob McDonald, host of Quirks and Quarks, explains what we could learn about the supermassive black hole at the heart of Messier 87 galaxy that's about 50 million light-years from Earth. A side-by-side photo of a radio telescope and a black hole

Astronomers are capturing the first-ever video of a black hole using radio telescopes set up all over the world. Bob McDonald, host of Quirks and Quarks, explains what we could learn about the supermassive black hole at the heart of Messier 87 galaxy that's about 50 million light-years from Earth.