While the first image of this black hole and its shadow was released in 2019, the new image released Wednesday shows the cosmic body in polarized light. Think about your polarized sunglasses, which help reduce glare and reflections of brightness. Light can also be polarized when it’s emitted in hot regions of space near magnetic fields. In this case, analyzing how the light around this black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy is polarized allowed astronomers a sharper view and the ability to map magnetic field lines near its inner edge. The scientists also discovered that a significant amount of light around the black hole is polarized.