'Gentle giant' black hole

Scientists unveil image of 'gentle giant' black hole at Milky Way's centre

The black hole - called Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* - is the second one ever to be imaged. The feat was accomplished by the same Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) international collaboration that in 2019 unveiled the first photo of a black hole - that one residing at the heart of a different galaxy.

University of Arizona astronomer Feryal Özel, at a news conference in Washington, hailed "the first direct image of the gentle giant in the centre of our galaxy," showing a glowing ring of red, yellow and white surrounding a darker centre.