Chandra Release - August 29, 2013

Visual Description: Sagittarius A*

In the X-ray and infrared image of Sagittarius A* captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy is surrounded by a complex structure of hot gas. This gas, heated to millions of degrees, emits X-rays that Chandra detects, revealing intricate details of the galactic core. The image showcases a diffuse, mottled cloud of X-ray-emitting gas colored in blue, with varying intensities and structures.  A sprinkling of sources, tiny dots of light, in near-infrared light are shown in pale yellow. Along with that, mottled slightly spiral shaped clumps of material in mid-infrared light are colored in pink.  To the upper right is a pullout from the center showing an X-ray closeup covering a region half a light year wide. Diffuse blue X-ray emission is from hot gas captured by the black hole and being pulled inwards. The hot gas originates from winds produced by a disk-shaped distribution of young massive stars observed in infrared light.  These observations enhance our understanding of the processes occurring in the heart of the Milky Way.