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Abstract Measuring the properties of black hole images has the potential to constrain deviations from general relativity on horizon scales. Of particular interest is the ellipticity of the ring that is sensitive to the underlying spacetime. In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) produced the first-ever image of a black hole on horizon scales. Here, we reanalyze the M87* EHT 2017 data using Bayesian imaging (BI) techniques, constructing a posterior of the ring shape. We find that BI recovers the true on-sky ring shape more reliably than the original imaging methods used in 2019. As a result, we find that M87*'s ring ellipticity is ${0.09}_{-0.06}^{+0.07}$and is consistent with the measured ellipticity from general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. 

Abstract The first very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) detections at 870μm wavelength (345 GHz frequency) are reported, achieving the highest diffraction-limited angular resolution yet obtained from the surface of the Earth and the highest-frequency example of the VLBI technique to date. These include strong detections for multiple sources observed on intercontinental baselines between telescopes in Chile, Hawaii, and Spain, obtained during observations in 2018 October. The longest-baseline detections approach 11 Gλ, corresponding to an angular resolution, or fringe spacing, of 19μas. The Allan deviation of the visibility phase at 870μm is comparable to that at 1.3 mm on the relevant integration timescales between 2 and 100 s. The detections confirm that the sensitivity and signal chain stability of stations in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) array are suitable for VLBI observations at 870μm. Operation at this short wavelength, combined with anticipated enhancements of the EHT, will lead to a unique high angular resolution instrument for black hole studies, capable of resolving the event horizons of supermassive black holes in both space and time.