'It's a Haunting Thing': Space Artists on the First Black Hole Image

Thanks to a deep dive into our archives, and some help from space artists, we compiled a collection of the many ways artists have illustrated black holes across more than 40 years. (Credits (clockwise from top left): Adolf Schaller/Astronomy archives; Roen Kelly/Astronomy; Adolf Schaller/Astronomy archives; NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook/UPI; Roen Kelly/Astronomy; Rick Sternbach/Astronomy archives; Adolf Schaller (x3); Anne Norcia/Astronomy archives; Unknown artist, NASA/JPL-Caltech; Adolf Schaller) When researchers with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) unveiled the first true picture of a black hole on April 10, they finally succeeded in imaging the invisible. The bright ring of the accretion disk and the dark shadow of the event horizon stood out clearly, validating scientists’ theories as to what a singularity looked like. The event was a momentous one for the space artists who have spent decades drawing black holes in the absence of actual confirmation of what they look like. We spoke to a few of our contributors on what it was like to paint an unseeable object — and how they reacted to their first glimpse of a real life black hole.

Staring at the Shadow