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What tech did scientists use to clear up the first image of a black hole?

Answer: Artificial intelligence.

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A digital illustration of a black hole in space.
Shutterstock
AI can add image touch-up to its growing list of skills. Researchers have been able to use the technology to make improvements to the first-ever image of a black hole.

Captured in 2019, the first-of-its-kind image captured a black hole 53 million light-years from Earth using a global network of radio telescopes. However, there were some gaps in the data that produced the image, because the object in question is so very far away.

The research team touched up the image by using machine learning to fill these gaps. The new image looks very similar to the original but with sharper resolution, a thinner ring, and a larger and darker hole in the center. This clearer image should enhance future studies of the phenomenon.
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