CSIRO AI Confirms Black Hole Image of M87*
Perth researchers used a new AI imaging algorithm to recover the ring structure of the M87* black hole from Event Horizon Telescope data.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Physics
A team of CSIRO researchers from Perth has confirmed the 2019 Event Horizon Telescope image of the M87* black hole using a bespoke AI imaging algorithm. The findings were published in the journal Nature.
Why it matters
The work tests the 2019 image against an independent interpretation that had questioned the ring structure. The team says its method could also be applied to seismography, ultrasound and MRI imaging.
The GenDIReCT algorithm accounts for atmospheric errors and errors from individual observatories while recovering the ring structure across several years of data. The black hole M87* is 55 million light years from Earth.
The players
CSIRO
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency, which conducts research across many fields.
Event Horizon Telescope
The Event Horizon Telescope is a global network of radio telescopes that produced the first image of a black hole.
The details
The CSIRO team trained its AI model on terrestrial images such as animals and automobiles rather than astronomical imagery, and built the model from scratch without prior assumptions about the expected black hole shape or size. The team also developed a new data product for radio astronomy.
Timeline
The Event Horizon Telescope captured the first black hole image in 2019.
The findings were published in Nature on 12 November 2026.
The Big Picture
The 2019 Event Horizon Telescope image of M87* was the first direct picture of a black hole, and this CSIRO reanalysis tests whether that image holds up under a new algorithm. It follows the EHT collaboration's original result by checking its interpretation with an entirely different computational approach.
The GenDIReCT approach could be adapted to seismography, seismic imaging, ultrasound and MRI, potentially improving medical and geological imaging tools. Commercialisation timelines for these applications were not stated in the source.
The takeaway
Confirming a famous image with a fresh method strengthens confidence in the science behind it. The same approach may also sharpen imaging tools used far beyond astronomy.
Further reading
Explore more on Physics to see how imaging techniques are reshaping our understanding of distant objects.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Perth Now.
