Astronomers Capture First Image of the Milky Way’s Black Hole
Someone cue Muse’s Supermassive Black Hole! The world just got its first look at the Milky Way’s black hole! Astronomers shared the blurry image on Thursday, which came from the Event Horizon Telescope.
The black hole in the Milky Way is called Sagittarius A* and it’s found near the border between the Sagittarius and Scorpius constellations. Astronomers were able to take the images seen below with the light of submillimeter radio waves, according to Space.com.
The Milky Way’s black hole is reportedly four million times more massive than the sun. Many astronomers believe that a black hole resides at the center of almost all galaxies.
University of Arizona astrophysicist Feryal Özel said, “Until now, we didn’t have the direct picture to prove that this gentle giant in the center of our galaxy is a black hole. It shows a bright ring surrounding the darkness, and the telltale sign of the shadow of the black hole.”
Space.com says that although the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole might look incredibly intimidating, it actually has a milder, fainter appetite than other black holes, like the one in M87.
What images from space would you like to see next?
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