A Jet in the Milky Way

Composite image of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Image Credit: 

X-ray: NASA/CXC/UCLA/Z. Li et al; Radio: NRAO/VLA

Astronomers have long sought strong evidence that Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is producing a jet of high-energy particles. Finally they have found it, in new results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope.

Previous studies, using a variety of telescopes, suggested there was a jet, but these reports -- including the orientation of the suspected jets -- often contradicted each other and were not considered definitive.

"For decades astronomers have looked for a jet associated with the Milky Way's black hole. Our new observations make the strongest case yet for such a jet," said Zhiyuan Li of Nanjing University in China, lead author of a study appearing in an upcoming edition of The Astrophysical Journal and available online now. See: NASA's Chandra Helps Confirm Evidence of Jet in Milky Way's Black Hole

See Also: Evidence for A Parsec-scale Jet from The Galactic Center Black Hole: Interaction with Local Gas