Greek astronomer among 346 scientists to receive $3 million for photo of black hole

The group plan to record a colour video of a black hole

A Greek professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, Dimitris Psaltis is among 346 researchers who will share equally in the $3 million annual Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics, Breakthrough Prize representatives announced today (Sept. 5).

The scientists who captured the first-ever images of a black hole just got handsomely rewarded for their epic achievement.

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team, which earlier this year unveiled photos of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy M87, won the $3 million annual Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics.

“It’s an amazing achievement for us, and to be recognized in this way brings it all home in a certain way — how it affects others,” said EHT Director Sheperd Doeleman, who’s based at Harvard University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.