Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2022 May 13 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. The Milky Way's Black Hole Image Credit: X-ray - [3]NASA/CXC/SAO, IR - [4]NASA/HST/STScI; Inset: Radio - [5]Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration Explanation: [6]There's a black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Stars are [7]observed to orbit a very massive and [8]compact object there known as Sgr A* (say "sadge-ay-star"). But this just released radio image (inset) from planet Earth's [9]Event Horizon Telescope is the first direct evidence of the Milky Way's central black hole. As predicted by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, the four million solar mass black hole's strong gravity is bending light and creating a shadow-like dark central region surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. Supporting observations made by space-based telescopes and ground-based observatories provide a wider view of the galactic center's dynamic environment and an important context for the Event Horizon Telescope's black hole image. [10]The main panel image shows the X-ray data from Chandra and infrared data from Hubble. While the main panel is about 7-light years across, the Event Horizon Telescope inset image itself spans a mere 10 light-minutes at the center of our galaxy, [11]some 27,000 light-years away. Tomorrow's picture: ice halos by moonlight __________________________________________________________________ [12]< | [13]Archive | [14]Submissions | [15]Index | [16]Search | [17]Calendar | [18]RSS | [19]Education | [20]About APOD | [21]Discuss | [22]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell ([26]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply. [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC & [32]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2205/sgra_.jpg 3. https://chandra.harvard.edu/ 4. https://www.stsci.edu/ 5. https://eventhorizontelescope.org/ 6. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/sagittarius-a-nasa-telescopes-support-event-horizon-telescope-in-studying-milky-ways.html 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070114.html 8. https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/virtual-tour/black-holes-and-compact-objects 9. https://eventhorizontelescope.org/blog/astronomers-reveal-first-image-black-hole-heart-our-galaxy 10. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2022/sgra/ 11. https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2208-eht-mwb/ 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220512.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220513 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220514.html 23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 30. https://www.nasa.gov/ 31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 32. http://www.mtu.edu/