First image of supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way
Astronomers have captured an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy for the first time.
The object, Sagittarius A*, sits at the center of the Milky Way, devouring all matter within its massive gravitational pull.
Watch the video above to learn more about the incredible new image
Watch Sunrise on Channel 7 and stream it for free on 7plus >>
Sagittarius A* has four million times the mass of our sun and is about 26,000 light-years or 9.5 trillion km from Earth.
Although black holes do not emit light, the image shows the shadow of the space phenomenon surrounded by a bright ring, which is deflected by gravity.
Woolworths announces major change to pay at supermarkets across Australia
Industry produces Australian graduates up to $350,000
Black holes are extremely dense objects with a gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape, which makes viewing them quite challenging.
The event horizon of a black hole is the point of no return above which everything – stars, planets, gas, dust, and all forms of electromagnetic radiation – fade into oblivion.
This is the giant black hole that lives at the center of our galaxy. Credit: Included
The image was created by an international team called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration.
The group includes more than 300 researchers from 80 institutions working with a network of eight different radio telescopes working together worldwide.
It is their second such image after they released a photo in 2019 of the giant black hole at the heart of another galaxy called Messier 87 or M87.
Astronomer Feryal Özel of the University of Arizona hailed “the first direct image of the gentle giant at the center of our galaxy” at a news conference in Washington DC on Thursday.
“This image shows a bright ring surrounding the darkness, the telltale sign of the black hole’s shadow,” Özel said.
“Light escaping from the hot gas swirling around the black hole appears to us as the bright ring. Light too close to the black hole — close enough to be swallowed up — eventually crosses the horizon, leaving just a dark void in the center.”
“It turned out to be a gentler, more cooperative black hole than we’d hoped for over the past decade when simulating its environment,” Özel added.
The Milky Way is seen from Earth. Credit: Getty Images
The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy that contains at least 100 billion stars.
Viewed from above or below, it resembles a spinning pinwheel, with our sun on one of the spiral arms and Sagittarius A* in the center.
Scientists hope the image will help them understand how supermassive black holes form early in a galaxy’s history and evolution.
– With MONKEY
