At the center of a galaxy more than 55 million light-years away, there's a supermassive black hole with the mass of several billion suns. And now, for the first time ever, we can see it. Astrophysicist Sheperd Doeleman, head of the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, speaks with TED's Chris Anderson about the iconic, first-ever image of a black hole -- and the epic, worldwide effort involved in capturing it.

Sheperd Doeleman: Inside the black hole image that made history

Inside the black hole image that made history

The first-ever image of a black hole reveals light's last orbit, manifesting Einstein's theory of relativity in a cosmic spectacle.

An Earth-sized virtual lens, crafted by linking telescopes globally, captured this historic black hole image, 55 million light-years away.

The black hole's image, a bright ring where light bends in the intense gravity, marks a unifying moment for science across borders.