UT Austin professor celebrates photos of M87 black hole

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - The news of the image of the M87 black hole being captured is also celebrated here at UT Austin.

Astrophysics professor Karl Gebhardt said he's measured and studied this black hole for years, but to finally see it is remarkable.

He said by capturing the photo, we're understanding more about how the universe works.

"What you're looking at is a black hole and on the background is a bunch of gas and dust,” said Gebhardt. "The light from the gas and dust is coming around the black hole and the black hole is acting like a silhouette blocking out the light. What we are seeing is the light as it comes around and it's being distorted by gravity."

Gebhardt said this black hole is about the size of our entire solar system.