It's the first time earthlings have ever seen such a thing. It was captured with the help of the Event Horizon Telescope -- a global network of telescopes that combines the power of 8 radio telescopes, which means it effectively creates a telescope THE SIZE OF EARTH!!!

The black hole it captured is at the center of a galaxy known as M87.

Maybe we should mention what a black hole is ... it's where a massive amount of matter is squeeeeeezed into a relatively small area. Black holes just grow and grow. In June of last year, Australian scientists found one that is growing so fast it's eating matter the size of the Sun every two days.

Also, no light can escape from a black hole, which makes photography near impossible -- and that's why the image is so monumental. We've never seen a clear image of a black hole before.

Stephen Hawking theorized about the existence of black holes in the universe and the radiation emitted from them ... it was one of his biggest contributions to science. He passed away in March of last year ... just missing the fruits of his labor.