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First image of a black hole gets a makeover with AI
The first image of a black hole captured four years ago revealed a fuzzy, fiery doughnut-shaped object. Now, researchers have used artificial intelligence to give that cosmic beauty shot a touch-up.
The image released in 2019 gave a peek at the enormous black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, 53 million light-years from Earth. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles. It was made using data gathered by a network of radio telescopes around the world, showing swirling light and gas.
But even with many telescopes working together, gaps remained in the data. In the latest study, scientists relied on the same data and used machine learning to fill in the missing pieces.
The resulting picture looks similar to the original, but with a thinner “doughnut” and a darker center, researchers said.
“For me, it feels like we’re really seeing it for the first time,” said lead author Lia Medeiros, an astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study in New Jersey.
By having a clearer picture, researchers hope to learn more about the black hole’s properties and gravity in future studies. And Medeiros said the team plans to use machine learning on other images of celestial objects, including possibly the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
注释：
cosmic: adj
表示"宇宙的"，means " of the whole universe or cosmos"，如：I'm pure, so I'm more in touch with cosmic forces. 因为我纯洁，所以我能更好的接触宇宙的力量。
touch-up: n
表示" 润色；修改"，means ""，如：He asked the teacher to touch up his picture. 他请老师把他的画修改提高一下。
astrophysicist: n
表示"天体物理学家"，means "an astronomer who studies the physical properties of celestial bodies"，如：
celestial: adj
表示" 天上的；"，means "of or relating to the sky"，如：The sun, moon, stars, etc. are celestial bodies. 太阳、月亮、星星等都是天体.The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn. 玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
中文简要说明：
AI制作图片已的功能，现在已用在天文学之上。4年前，结合全球各地的电波资料，所汇总的「第一张黑洞照片」，是一个模糊、炽热的甜甜圈状物体。现在由AI人工智能系统进行润色，获得一个更清晰的黑洞可能模样，光环变得更细，中心的黑洞变得更大。
美联社报导，2019 年发布的首张黑洞照片，是拍摄距离地球 5300 万光年的 M87 星系(室女座A星系)中心，这个巨大的椭圆星系一直释放极强的电波，而且还有一道高能喷流，同时也是银河系附近质量最大的星系之一。因此天文学家相信，它中央的黑洞必然异常巨大，估计是太阳质量的30亿倍，如此特征，也就选M87核心为第一个黑洞拍照的对象.
经过全球不同地方的电波望远镜同时观测，并且持续数年的累积数据，以电波的强弱程度，积迭成黑洞的的可能视觉外观，这就是黑洞的照片。在照片中有一个深邃的黑圆点，那应该就是黑洞的本体；周边则有明亮的圆圈，那是物质吸积盘，这张照片经常被形容成眼睛或是甜甜圈。
不过，数据仍然存在许多缺失，因此在最新的研究中，科学家们借助AI的演算能力，来填补缺失的部分。新产生的黑洞照片与原始图片仍然相似，但甜甜圈更薄，中心也更黑暗。
新泽西州高级研究所的天体物理学家莉莎‧蒙蒂罗斯(Lia Medeiros)说：「对我来说，这样的效果感觉就像第一次真正看到它。蒙蒂罗斯说，团队还会将AI用于其他天文图片，也包括第2张黑洞照片-我们银河系中心的黑洞照。
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