Webb image archive
Flaring Disk Around Milky Way's Black Hole (Artist's Concept)
Caption This artist’s concept portrays the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, known as Sagittarius A* (A-star). It’s surrounded by a swirling accret...
- Date
- Feb 18, 2025
- Observatory
- James Webb Space Telescope
- Credit
- NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
- Archive ID
- 01JKRDYJ5M8YA41YCJ7ZAXP1BE
Caption
This artist’s concept portrays the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, known as Sagittarius A* (A-star). It’s surrounded by a swirling accretion disk of hot gas. The black hole’s gravity bends light from the far side of the disk, making it appear to wrap above and below the black hole.
Several flaring hot spots that resemble solar flares, but on a more energetic scale, are seen in the disk. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected both bright flares and fainter flickers coming from Sagittarius A*. The flickers are so rapid they must originate very close to the black hole.
Credits
Illustration
NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Keywords
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- Full res "Artist Concept" watermarked - CinemaWide format (Print), 3840 X 1634, TIF (12.67 MB)
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- Full res - CinemaWide format (Print), 3840 X 1634, TIF (12.67 MB)
- Full res - CinemaWide format (Display), 3840 X 1634, PNG (9.90 MB)
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- Full res "Artist Concept" watermarked (Display), 3840 X 2160, PNG (9.30 MB)
- Half res "Artist Concept" watermarked (Display), 1920 X 1080, PNG (2.66 MB)
- Full res (Print), 3840 X 2160, TIF (11.76 MB)
- Full res (Display), 3840 X 2160, PNG (9.28 MB)
- Half res (Display), 1920 X 1080, PNG (2.65 MB)