Black-hole image sheds light on Milky Way mysteries

The first image of our Galaxy’s supermassive black hole, released earlier this month, has already begun to explain some enduring mysteries about the heart of the Milky Way. Alongside other evidence, the results suggest that Sagittarius A* is sucking in matter at a slow pace, making it unusually dim compared with the central black holes of other galaxies. The observations also hint that Sagittarius A* could have been spectacularly active only a few million years ago. And there are fresh questions about some of the largest structures seen in and around the Milky Way.