Dennis Overbye, writing for The New York Times, described the first photo of a supermassive black hole in quite the pop culture way.

The image, of a lopsided ring of light surrounding a dark circle deep in the heart of the galaxy known as Messier 87, some 55 million light-years away from here, resembled the Eye of Sauron, a reminder yet again of the power and malevolence of nature. It is a smoke ring framing a one-way portal to eternity.

Nicely done. Peter Jackson must be proud.