trueDiscovery Science,Student Successpa06/11/2024'Flares' and 'echoes' from the Milky Way's monster black hole

Spartans have uncovered new information about the galaxy’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*

  • Michigan State University researchers led by Shuo Zhang, have presented new findings that will help scientists better understand the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*.
  • Grace Sanger-Johnson, a postbaccalaureate researcher, discovered nine previously undetected “flares” from Sagittarius A* — high-energy X-ray bursts that give researchers valuable insights into the black hole’s physical environment.
  • Jack Uteg, an undergraduate researcher in the MSU Honors College, analyzed X-ray echoes from a molecular cloud near the black hole to peer more than 200 years into Sagittarius A*’s past.
Samantha BrichtaPhysics and Astronomy BuildingThe supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, known as Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*, appears as a bright spot against the backdrop of space in this telescope image, shrouded by X-ray light, which appears as clouds of red and blue. Credit: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Wisconsin/Y. Bai, et al.