The Milky Way's Central Black Hole

Overview

Over three decades, the teams of Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez tracked stars orbiting the centre of the Milky Way, revealing a four-million-solar-mass black hole, Sagittarius A*.

Why it matters

The most convincing evidence for a supermassive black hole; recognised with the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Credit

Objects & facilities

W. M. Keck Observatory

Observed at

Very Large Telescope (VLT)

Bearing on theory

Confirmed

General Relativity

Knowledge connections

Discovered byReinhard Genzel
Discovered byAndrea Ghez
Part ofContemporary Astronomy
Related toSagittarius A*
Related toThe Milky Way
Discovered atW. M. Keck Observatory
Discovered atVery Large Telescope (VLT)
ConfirmedGeneral Relativity
Related toBlack Hole
Related toSupermassive Black Hole
Discovered viaSagittarius A* — The Milky Way's Black Hole

Sources & references

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

The Nobel PrizeThe Nobel Foundation
Official record of Nobel laureates, prize motivations, and award years.
ESOEuropean Southern Observatory
Southern-hemisphere observatory data and imagery (VLT, ALMA partner).

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