The Galactic Center
The galactic disc, which bulges outward at the galactic center, has a diameter of 70,000–100,000 light-years (20–30 kpc).[39] The exact distance from the Sun to the galactic center is actively debated. The latest estimates from geometric-based methods and standard candles yield distances to the Galactic center of 7.6–8.7 kpc (25,000–28,000 ly).[5][6][7][8] The fact that the estimates span over 1 kpc only underscores the true uncertainty associated with the distance to the Galactic center.
The galactic center harbors a compact object of very large mass as determined by the motion of material around the center.[40] The intense radio source named Sagittarius A*, thought to mark the center of the Milky Way, is confirmed to be a supermassive black hole.[Note 1] Most galaxies are believed to have supermassive black holes at their centers.[41]
The nature of the galaxy's bar is also actively debated, with estimates for its half-length and orientation spanning from 1–5 kpc (3,300–16,000 ly) (short or a long bar) and 10–50 degrees.[7][8][42] Certain authors advocate that the galaxy features two distinct bars, one nestled within the other.[43] The bar is delineated by red clump stars (see also red giant), however, RR Lyr variables do not trace a prominent Galactic bar.[8][44][45] The bar may be surrounded by a ring called the "5-kpc ring" that contains a large fraction of the molecular hydrogen present in the galaxy, as well as most of the Milky Way's star formation activity. Viewed from the Andromeda Galaxy, it would be the brightest feature of our own galaxy.[46]
The galactic disc, which bulges outward at the galactic center, has a diameter of 70,000–100,000 light-years (20–30 kpc).[39] The exact distance from the Sun to the galactic center is actively debated. The latest estimates from geometric-based methods and standard candles yield distances to the Galactic center of 7.6–8.7 kpc (25,000–28,000 ly).[5][6][7][8] The fact that the estimates span over 1 kpc only underscores the true uncertainty associated with the distance to the Galactic center.
The galactic center harbors a compact object of very large mass as determined by the motion of material around the center.[40] The intense radio source named Sagittarius A*, thought to mark the center of the Milky Way, is confirmed to be a supermassive black hole.[Note 1] Most galaxies are believed to have supermassive black holes at their centers.[41]
The nature of the galaxy's bar is also actively debated, with estimates for its half-length and orientation spanning from 1–5 kpc (3,300–16,000 ly) (short or a long bar) and 10–50 degrees.[7][8][42] Certain authors advocate that the galaxy features two distinct bars, one nestled within the other.[43] The bar is delineated by red clump stars (see also red giant), however, RR Lyr variables do not trace a prominent Galactic bar.[8][44][45] The bar may be surrounded by a ring called the "5-kpc ring" that contains a large fraction of the molecular hydrogen present in the galaxy, as well as most of the Milky Way's star formation activity. Viewed from the Andromeda Galaxy, it would be the brightest feature of our own galaxy.[46]
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The Galactic Center harbors a variety of intriguing puzzles, including a strangely quiescent supermassive black hole, a collection of wispy magnetic filaments, a few dense stellar superclusters which host mysterious and massive stars, a star with a tail, and a family of gas streamers spiraling toward a central dark mass. Just to name a few
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The Galactic Center is the rotational center of the Milky Way galaxy.
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A supermassive black hole about 4.1 million solar masses large.
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black hole with accretion disk over 10 Billion solar masses in diameter
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ITS A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE!
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a chewy tootsie roll, though i might be confusing that with something else