A near-infrared image of the crowded inner 2 light-years of the Milky Way galaxy. Arrows pinpoint the galactic center, home to a supermassive black hole over 2 million times the mass of our Sun. The image shows the results of observations tracking star S2's orbit, confirming the black hole's presence and providing a test of Einstein's theory of gravity. Scale bar indicates 1 light-year.

Astronomy Picture from 23/10/2005

At the Center of the Milky Way

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap051023.html


#MilkyWayBlackHole #SupermassiveBlackHole #SagittariusA #StellarOrbits #EinsteinGravity #Astrophysics #Astronomy #Space #GalaxyCenter #ParanalObservatory #S2Star #NearInfrared

Near-infrared image of the crowded inner 2 light-years of the Milky Way galaxy, taken by the NACO instrument at the Paranal Observatory. Arrows point to the galactic center, home to a supermassive black hole over 2 million times the mass of the Sun. The image showcases the star S2's orbit, providing evidence for the black hole's existence and allowing for tests of Einstein's theory of gravity. Scale bar indicates 1 light-year.

Astronomy Picture from 18/10/2002

At the Center of the Milky Way

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap021018.html


#MilkyWayBlackHole #SupermassiveBlackHole #GalacticCenter #NACO #ParanalObservatory #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Einstein #Gravity #StarOrbit #S2Star