High School How black hole Sgr-A* Was Found

Click For Summary
The supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way has a mass of approximately 4.3 million solar masses, equivalent to 1.4 trillion Earths. Its discovery involved a combination of observational techniques over several decades, culminating in significant advancements in technology and data analysis. The black hole's presence was hinted at through the movement of nearby stars, which indicated a massive, invisible object exerting gravitational influence. Observations from various telescopes, including radio and infrared, played a crucial role in confirming its existence. Sagittarius A* remains a focal point for ongoing research in astrophysics and our understanding of galaxy formation.
jedishrfu
Mentor
Insights Author
Messages
15,579
Reaction score
10,335
TL;DR
Some astronomy history on the discovery of the black hole at the center of our galaxy.
https://www.astronomy.com/science/5...-beast-lurking-in-the-heart-of-the-milky-way/

The supermassive black hole in our Milky Way weighs about 4.3 million solar masses, equal to 1.4 trillion Earths

Finding the Milky Way in the night sky is fairly easy. A short stroll to a dark, isolated location affords a ready snapshot of its splendor, as a small fraction of its 100 billion to 400 billion stars blaze overhead like a sprawling celestial stream.
 
Reply
  • Like
  • Informative
Likes Hornbein, DennisN, Drakkith and 4 others
Astronomy news on Phys.org

Thread 'Lunar Orbit Issues & Lunar Clocks'

I recently purchased a lunar clock intended as a Christmas present for a young family friend who has become interested in astronomy. The clock face shows twelve images of the Moon in all its main phases, with the Full Moon depicted at the "twelve o'clock" position. Now I purchased this clock especially early to allow time to check on its accuracy. After waiting for a full lunar orbit to occur, I have since discovered that the clock time when measured relative to its lunar images (that's to...
View full post »

Similar threads

Possible Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in Milky Way Galaxy
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Milky Way's Supermassive Black Hole to Light Up in 2013?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
6K
Sgr. A* - Mathematical calculations
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K