The supermassive black hole located at the center of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*, appears to be putting on a true light show, resembling a cosmic nightclub. Thanks to observations made with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astrophysicists has captured the most extensive and detailed view to date of this colossal celestial object.
Scientists have discovered that the accretion disk—a structure of gas and dust orbiting the black hole—emits constant flares with no periods of inactivity. These flares occur on different timescales, from brief flashes lasting only a few seconds to intense eruptions that can take place daily. Additionally, even subtler variations have been recorded over the course of months. These findings could provide key insights into the fundamental nature of black holes, their interaction with their surroundings, and the evolution of our galaxy.
The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and its lead author, Farhad Yusef-Zadeh of Northwestern University in Illinois, highlighted the uniqueness of the observed activity: “We saw a constantly changing, bubbling glow, and then suddenly—boom! A massive flare appeared out of nowhere. Then everything would calm down again. We couldn’t identify a defined pattern; each observation revealed a different and surprising activity.”
Random Fireworks at the Galactic Center
To conduct the study, the team used Webb’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), observing Sagittarius A* for a total of 48 hours, divided into 8-to-10-hour intervals over the course of a year. This approach allowed researchers to track changes in the black hole’s activity with unprecedented precision.
Although astronomers already expected to find flares, the level of activity detected exceeded their predictions. Explosions of varying intensities and durations were recorded, with five to six major flares occurring daily, in addition to numerous smaller flashes in between.
Even though the exact mechanism behind these phenomena is not yet fully understood, Yusef-Zadeh suggests that at least two distinct processes may be at play. The weaker flares are likely the result of small disturbances within the accretion disk. In particular, turbulent fluctuations may compress plasma and generate brief bursts of radiation, similar to solar flares. “It’s a process analogous to how the Sun’s magnetic field accumulates, compresses, and then releases energy in the form of a solar flare,” the researcher explained.
On the other hand, the brighter flares appear to result from magnetic reconnection events. This process occurs when magnetic field lines collide, releasing energy and accelerating particles to nearly the speed of light, generating intense radiation emissions. “We can compare it to a spark of static electricity, which is also a form of electrical reconnection,” Yusef-Zadeh added.
Thanks to NIRCam’s ability to observe in two wavelengths simultaneously (2.1 and 4.8 microns in this case), scientists were able to compare how the brightness of the flares varied in each wavelength. To their surprise, they discovered a slight delay in the emission of light: events recorded at the shorter wavelength preceded those observed at the longer wavelength by a few seconds up to 40 seconds.
This time lag provides clues about the physical processes occurring around the black hole. One possible explanation is that particles lose energy over the duration of the flare, causing a faster dimming at shorter wavelengths compared to longer ones. This behavior is characteristic of particles spiraling around magnetic field lines.
To further deepen the study of Sagittarius A*, the team hopes to conduct extended, uninterrupted observations, ideally lasting 24 consecutive hours. This would help reduce noise in the data and reveal even subtler characteristics of the black hole’s activity.
“When it comes to such weak flare events, noise can be a problem,” Yusef-Zadeh explained. “If we manage to observe for a continuous 24-hour period, we could significantly reduce that noise and detect patterns that have remained hidden until now. It would be fascinating to discover whether these flares repeat in a cycle or if, on the contrary, they are completely random.”
SOURCES
F. Yusef-Zadeh, H. Bushouse, R. G. Arendt, M. Wardle, J. M. Michail, C. J. Chandler. Nonstop Variability of Sgr A* Using JWST at 2.1 and 4.8 μm Wavelengths: Evidence for Distinct Populations of Faint and Bright Variable Emission. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2025; 980 (2): L35 DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ada88b
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