M87*              

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Context

• In 2019, astronomers of the Event Horizon Telescope captured the first ever image of a supermassive black hole (M87*) which was located at the centre of a galaxy Messier 87 (M87).

About

• A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out.
• The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.
• Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible.
• Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other stars.

How Do Black Holes Form?

• Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began.
• Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or collapses. When this happens, it causes a supernova. A supernova is an exploding star that blasts part of the star into space.
• Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.

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