Images by Date
Images by Category
Solar System
Stars
Exoplanets
White Dwarfs
Supernovas
Neutron Stars
Black Holes
Milky Way Galaxy
Normal Galaxies
Quasars
Galaxy Clusters
Cosmology/Deep Field
Miscellaneous
Images by Interest
Space Scoop for Kids
4K JPG
Multiwavelength
Sky Map
Constellations
Photo Blog
Top Rated Images
Image Handouts
Desktops
Fits Files
Image Tutorials
Photo Album Tutorial
False Color
Cosmic Distance
Look-Back Time
Scale & Distance
Angular Measurement
Images & Processing
AVM/Metadata
Image Use Policy
Web Shortcuts
Chandra Blog
RSS Feed
Chronicle
Email Newsletter
News & Noteworthy
Image Use Policy
Questions & Answers
Glossary of Terms
Download Guide
Get Adobe Reader
More Information
Black Holes
X-ray Astronomy Field Guide
Black Holes
Questions and Answers
Black Holes
Chandra Images
Black Holes
Milky Way Galaxy
X-ray Astronomy Field Guide: Milky Way Galaxy
Questions and Answers: Milky Way Galaxy
Chandra Images: Milky Way Galaxy
Related Podcasts
Tour: NASA Telescopes Discover Record-Breaking Black Hole
Download Image

More Information

More Images
Sagittarius A
(Credit: NASA/F. Baganoff (MIT) /G. Garmire (PSU))

More Releases
Galactic Center
Galactic Center
(13 Sep 23)

Related Images
Sagittarius A East
Galactic Center:
Chandra Discovers X-ray Source at the Center of Our Galaxy


Galactic Center
Credit: NASA/MIT/PSU

Chandra X-ray image of the innermost 10 light years at the center of our galaxy. The image has been smoothed to bring out the X-ray emission from an extended cloud of hot gas surrounding the supermassive black-hole candidate Sagittarius A* (larger white dot at the very center of the image- a little to the left and above the smallest white dot). This gas glows in X-ray light because it has been heated to a temperature of millions of degrees by shock waves produced by supernova explosions and perhaps by colliding winds from young massive stars.

Fast Facts for Galactic Center:
Credit  NASA/MIT/PSU
Scale  Image is 1.3 arcmin across.
Category  Black Holes, Milky Way Galaxy
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 17h 45m 40s | Dec -29° 00´ 28"
Constellation  Sagittarius
Obs. IDs  242
Color Code  Intensity
Instrument  ACIS
Distance Estimate  26,000 light years
Release Date  January 14, 2000