Object Analysis

Sagittarius A* (pronounced "Sagittarius A-star", abbreviated Sgr A*) is the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center of the Milky Way. It is located near the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius, about 26,000 light-years from Earth. Though it emits no optical light itself due to the immense dust clouds in the galactic plane, it is a bright source of radio waves.

The object has a mass of approximately 4.1 million solar masses, packed into a volume with a radius of less than 45 AU (roughly the orbit of Uranus). Astronomers confirmed its nature by observing the star S2, which orbits the invisible object at high speeds, providing undeniable gravitational proof of a supermassive compact object.

In 2022, the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration released the first direct image of the shadow of Sagittarius A*, revealing a ring-like structure of glowing gas surrounding the central dark depression. Unlike active galactic nuclei in other galaxies, Sgr A* is currently relatively quiet, consuming only small amounts of matter from stellar winds in its vicinity.