Sagittarius A*: A black hole at the centre of the Milky Way | Explained News, The Indian Express

Sagittarius A*: A black hole at the centre of the Milky Way | Explained News, The Indian Express

By Express News Service |New Delhi |Updated: September 23, 2019 4:48:39 am

Sagittarius A*: A black hole at the centre of the Milky Way

Why has its recent behaviour intrigued scientists?

It may be that the Sagittarius A* has become hungrier, and has been feeding on nearby matter at a markedly faster rate, which one researcher described as a “big feast”.

A supermassive black hole sits 26,000 light years away from Earth, near the Galactic Centre, or the centre of the Milky Way. Called Sagittarius A*, it is one of the few black holes where we can witness the flow of matter nearby. Since the discovery of Sagittarius A* 24 years ago, it has been fairly calm. This year, however, Sagittarius A* has shown unusual activity, and the area around it has been much brighter than usual. In research published recently in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, scientists have sought to explain why this is happening.