News > 200 years ago, the Milky Way’s central black hole briefly awoke

200 years ago, the Milky Way’s central black hole briefly awoke

The supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*, experienced a sudden brightening and emitted a flare of X-rays about 200 years ago, according to researchers. The black hole had been dormant and dim, making it challenging to observe. The polarization of the X-rays suggests that the light came from an X-ray pulse during that time, but the cause of the flare remains unknown.