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Galactic centre
Science & Exploration

Galactic centre

07/05/2013 7222 views 103 likes 291045 ID

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The environment at the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy. The Galactic Centre hosts a supermassive black hole in the region known as Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*, with a mass of about four million times that of our Sun.

A dense torus of molecular gas and dust surrounds the Galactic Centre and occupies the innermost 15 light-years of our Galaxy. Enshrouded within the disc is a central cavity, with a radius of a few light-years, filled with warm dust and lower density gas.Part of this gas is being heated by the strong ultraviolet radiation from massive stars that closely orbit the central black hole. Heating also likely results from strong shocks, generated as gas orbits around or flows towards Sgr A*, in collisions between gas clouds or in material flowing at high velocity from stars and protostars.  

  • Credits: ESA–C. Carreau
  • Space Science
  • Herschel
Herschel’s view of the Galactic Centre
Science & Exploration

Herschel’s view of the Galactic Centre

Image 2919 views 27 likes
Glowing jewels in the Galactic Plane
Science & Exploration

Glowing jewels in the Galactic Plane

Image 9141 views 127 likes
Science & Exploration

A fossil in the making

Image 1496 views 8 likes
Science & Exploration

Herschel's view of the Galactic Plane

Video 00:10:00 65244 views 42 likes
Galactic outflow
Science & Exploration

Galactic outflow

Image 4937 views 67 likes