Seeing a Black Hole Through Stephen Hawking's Eyes

For a few nights in April last year, astronomers linked up eight radio telescopes in the United States, Chile, Spain, Mexico, and Antarctica for a little photo shoot. Their goal was to piece together an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

Black holes, one of the most mystifying phenomena in the universe, are the epitome of camera-shy. The gravity of these extremely dense points in space is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. But with the right setup and powerful technology, humanity could catch a glimpse of one.

Astronomers are still analyzing the data, and they hope to make their results public sometime this year. The final photograph, if they got it, would be the first-ever picture of a black