NASA has confirmed that the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, known as Sagittarius A*, shows signs of potential activity, leading experts to believe it could “wake up” in the future. This massive black hole is located approximately 25,000 light-years from Earth and has a mass estimated to be four times that of our Sun.
Currently, Sagittarius A* is in a dormant state, having remained inactive for thousands of years. However, this situation may change in the distant future. Recent calculations suggest that the black hole could become active again when the Milky Way collides with another galaxy, which is expected to happen within the next 2,000 years, according to some estimates.
Should this galactic collision occur, a significant amount of gas could be drawn toward the center of our galaxy, possibly reigniting activity in Sagittarius A*. Nonetheless, even if the black hole does awaken, it may not exhibit extreme levels of activity. Joseph Michail, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, noted that the black hole”s renewed state may not lead to a dramatic increase in its behavior.
Sagittarius A* is the closest supermassive black hole to us, and its name reflects its position in the constellation Sagittarius, situated at the core of the Milky Way galaxy. As research continues, the scientific community remains vigilant in monitoring this intriguing celestial phenomenon.
