The Galactic Center

At the heart of the Milky Way lies Sagittarius A*, a supermassive black hole of about 4 million solar masses. The region around it is packed with stars. The star S2 sweeps within 17 light-hours of the black hole, reaching roughly 2.5% the speed of light at its closest approach.

Thick clouds of gas and dust block visible light from the galactic center. But infrared and radio telescopes peer through the dust, revealing a dynamic, violent environment where stars are born and destroyed at rates far higher than in the quieter outskirts where we live.