A First-Look Image of M87* from the 2026 EHT Monitoring Campaign

Abstract:

n 2026, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) carried out the first time-lapse monitoring campaign comprising a series of 18 observations of the black hole at the center of M87 with a cadence of approximately twice per week over a few months, matched to the expected dynamical timescale. Here we present a first-look image from the campaign, reconstructed from a single four-minute scan obtained on 2026 April 3.