What type of object was photographed for the first time in 2019, located at the center of galaxy M87?

• A. Neutron star
• B. Quasar
• C. Black hole
• D. White dwarf

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that the first direct image of a black hole was captured in 2019 for the object at the center of galaxy M87. The photograph shows a dark central region surrounded by a bright ring, a silhouette created by the black hole’s event horizon where gravity is so strong that light cannot escape. This ring-and-shadow pattern is a telltale sign of a black hole, produced by light from the surrounding hot gas being bent and captured by its gravity.

Other objects wouldn’t produce this same silhouette. A neutron star or white dwarf would be far too small to create a visible shadow at that distance, and a quasar is simply a highly luminous active galactic nucleus; while powered by a black hole, it wouldn’t present the distinct ring around a dark center that the image reveals. So the photographed object is the supermassive black hole at the center of M87, known as M87*.