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Sagittarius A*

Black hole · Supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way

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Sagittarius A*
Picture: EHT Collaboration, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

About Sagittarius A*

Sagittarius A* is about 26,996 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 26,996 years ago.

It is 53 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way.

The map lists it as a black hole and shows it among the stars around the Sun, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

The supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way: 4.3 million solar masses (GRAVITY 2022). Imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2022.

Key numbers

Distance26,996 light-years (8.28 kpc)
Distance from the Galactic centre53 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 359.94°, b = -0.05°

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Milky Way › Local Group › Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: Local Arm, a view about 12,000 light-years across.

From Wikipedia

Sagittarius A*, abbreviated as Sgr A*, is the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center of the Milky Way. Viewed from Earth, it is located near the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius, about 5.6° south of the ecliptic, visually close to the Butterfly Cluster (M6) and Lambda Scorpii.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Sagittarius A*, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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