The first image of a black hole – does it look familiar to you?

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Picture credit: Black Hole in Galaxy Messier 87, Event Horizon Telescope collaboration et al.
Picture credit: Black Hole in Galaxy Messier 87, Event Horizon Telescope collaboration et al.

The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration has managed to take the first picture of a black hole in human history. Not only is this a remarkable scientific feat it is also proof that collaboration will get you further than doing things on your own – a fellowship of scientists, so to speak. Now, the New York Times posted a description familiar to readers of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Astronomers Capture First Image of a Black Hole

Or rather as the New York Times would have it:

The image, of a lopsided ring of light surrounding a dark circle deep in the heart of the galaxy known as Messier 87, some 55 million light-years away from here, resembled the Eye of Sauron, a reminder yet again of the power and malevolence of nature. It is a smoke ring framing a one-way portal to eternity.

[Source.]

Now, I am not going to debate the looks of this “eye”:

The Eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat’s, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing.

[Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Bk. II, Chp. 7: The Mirror of Galadriel]

However, it is quite pleasant to see that people immediately jump at the connection.

Picture credit: Black Hole in Galaxy Messier 87, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Picture credit: Black Hole in Galaxy Messier 87, Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration et al.
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Marcel R. Bülles

Marcel R. Bülles is the author of thetolkienist.com, a specialist blog centering on worldwide Tolkien fandom, geekdom and research. He works as a freelance translator, journalist and writer and is the founder of the German Tolkien Society as well as a co-founder to RingCon, Europe's formerly biggest fantasy film convention. You can find him in cafés all over the world sipping an espresso blogging, writing, reading. At one point he was married to an extremely lovely French lady by the nickname of Sauron. Yes, that Sauron. He is also active with the International Tolkien Fellowship on Facebook and the Tolkien Folk on Instagram.