Tour of Sagittarius A*
Quicktime MPEG With closed-captions (at YouTube)
Jets of high-energy particles are found throughout the Universe on large and small scales. They are produced by young stars and by giant black holes. Jets play important roles in transporting energy away from the central object and, on a galactic scale, in regulating the rate of formation of new stars.
Because of that, astronomers have been searching for decades for a jet from the Milky Way’s black hole known as Sagittarius A*. Over the years, there have been several reports of hints of a jet from Sgr A*, but none was conclusive. A new study involving data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Array, however, has provided the best case yet for a jet from our Galaxy's supermassive black hole.
One piece of evidence is a straight line of X-rays that points to Sgr A*. Another is the discovery of a shock front - akin to a sonic boom - seen in radio data, where the jet appears to be striking a cloud of gas. By combining these clues with other information, astronomers think they have the strongest evidence to date for a jet blasting out of Sgr A*. The likely discovery of a jet from Sgr A* helps astronomers learn more about the giant black hole, including how it is spinning.
[Runtime: 01:32]
Quicktime MPEG With closed-captions (at YouTube)
Jets of high-energy particles are found throughout the Universe on large and small scales. They are produced by young stars and by giant black holes. Jets play important roles in transporting energy away from the central object and, on a galactic scale, in regulating the rate of formation of new stars.
Because of that, astronomers have been searching for decades for a jet from the Milky Way’s black hole known as Sagittarius A*. Over the years, there have been several reports of hints of a jet from Sgr A*, but none was conclusive. A new study involving data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Array, however, has provided the best case yet for a jet from our Galaxy's supermassive black hole.
One piece of evidence is a straight line of X-rays that points to Sgr A*. Another is the discovery of a shock front - akin to a sonic boom - seen in radio data, where the jet appears to be striking a cloud of gas. By combining these clues with other information, astronomers think they have the strongest evidence to date for a jet blasting out of Sgr A*. The likely discovery of a jet from Sgr A* helps astronomers learn more about the giant black hole, including how it is spinning.
[Runtime: 01:32]
(Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart)
Return to Sagittarius A* (November 20, 2013)
Revised: July 10, 2023