The centre of the Milky Way showing a newly discovered and rapidly moving cloud
These images taken over the last decade using the NACO instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope show the motion of a cloud of gas that is falling towards the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. This is the first time ever that the approach of such a doomed cloud to a supermassive black hole has been observed and it is expected to break up completely during 2013.
Credit:ESO/MPE
About the Image
| Id: | eso1151c |
| Type: | Collage |
| Release date: | 14 December 2011, 19:00 |
| Related releases: | eso1151 |
| Size: | 2507 x 948 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Sgr A* |
| Type: | Milky Way : Galaxy : Component : Central Black Hole |
| Distance: | 25000 light years |
| Category: | Quasars and Black Holes |
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
|---|---|
| Infrared | Very Large Telescope NACO |