The Milky Way's Black Hole Observed

 

(click on image to enlarge)

No, not the one at the center of the Republican Party...  the cosmic one:

Astronomers on Thursday unveiled the first image of a supermassive black hole that roils the center of our galaxy, its gravity so powerful that it bends space and time and forms a glowing ring of light with eternal darkness at the core. The black hole, seen from Earth near the constellation Sagittarius, has a mass equal to more than 4 million suns.

Feryal Ozel, a University of Arizona astronomer, described the achievement as "the first direct image of the gentle giant in the center of our galaxy.” [snip]

The image was captured by a global consortium of astronomical observatories, known as the Event Horizon Telescope. Three years ago the project produced the first image of a black hole, in the galaxy Messier 87.

The black hole at the center of the Milky Way is more than a thousand times smaller than the one in Messier 87. But cosmically speaking, it is the one closest to home. [snip]

The Milky Way’s central black hole has until now been inferred from its effect on stars and dust in its vicinity, rather than directly observed. It is very far away — about 27,000 light-years — and despite its “supermassive” designation, is not very large in the grand scheme of things, making direct observation with telescopes extremely difficult.

More at the link about black holes in general, and ours specifically.  Kudos to the astronomers involved!

(Image: Our galaxy's black hole/ Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration)