Sunday, July 11, 2010

Seeing a hidden monster

The center of our galaxy

At the center of our galaxy lies a giant black hole. Invisible though it is, its gravity exerts a strong influence on the stars that surround it.

The animation plots the actual positions of the stars at the galaxy’s core over the course of six years. From their motions, astronomers can pinpoint the location of the black hole and measure its mass – 2 million Suns!

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