First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way
Journal article, 2022

We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Galactic center source associated with a supermassive black hole. These observations were conducted in 2017 using a global interferometric array of eight telescopes operating at a wavelength of λ = 1.3 mm. The EHT data resolve a compact emission region with intrahour variability. A variety of imaging and modeling analyses all support an image that is dominated by a bright, thick ring with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas (68% credible interval). The ring has modest azimuthal brightness asymmetry and a comparatively dim interior. Using a large suite of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the EHT images of Sgr A* are consistent with the expected appearance of a Kerr black hole with mass ∼4 × 106 M☉, which is inferred to exist at this location based on previous infrared observations of individual stellar orbits, as well as maser proper-motion studies. Our model comparisons disfavor scenarios where the black hole is viewed at high inclination (i > 50°), as well as nonspinning black holes and those with retrograde accretion disks. Our results provide direct evidence for the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and for the first time we connect the predictions from dynamical measurements of stellar orbits on scales of 103-105 gravitational radii to event-horizon-scale images and variability. Furthermore, a comparison with the EHT results for the supermassive black hole M87* shows consistency with the predictions of general relativity spanning over three orders of magnitude in central mass.

Author

Kazunori Akiyama

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Harvard University

Antxon Alberdi

Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA)

Walter Alef

Max Planck Society

Juan-Carlos Algaba

University of Malaya

Richard Anantua

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Harvard University

R. Azulay

Universitat de Valencia

Max Planck Society

K. Asada

Academia Sinica

U. Bach

Max Planck Society

A. K. Baczko

Max Planck Society

David Ball

University of Arizona

Mislav Baloković

Yale University

John Barrett

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

M. Bauböck

University of Illinois

Bradford A. Benson

University of Chicago

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Dan Bintley

East Asian Observatory

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

Lindy Blackburn

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Harvard University

R. Blundell

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

K. L. Bouman

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

G. C. Bower

Academia Sinica

University of Hawaii

Hope Boyce

McGill University

M. Bremer

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)

C. D. Brinkerink

Radboud University

Roger Brissenden

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Harvard University

Silke Britzen

Max Planck Society

Avery E. Broderick

University of Waterloo

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

D. Broguière

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)

Thomas Bronzwaer

Radboud University

Sandra Bustamante

University of Massachusetts

Do Young Byun

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

University of Science and Technology (UST)

J. E. Carlstrom

The Enrico Fermi Institute

University of Chicago

Chiara Ceccobello

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

A. Chael

Princeton University

NASA Hubble Fellowship Program

Chi Kwan Chan

University of Arizona

Koushik Chatterjee

Harvard University

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

S. Chatterjee

Cornell University

Ming Tang Chen

Academia Sinica

Yongjun Chen

Shanghai Astronomical Observatory

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Xiaopeng Cheng

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

I. Cho

Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA)

Pierre Christian

Fairfield University

Nicholas S. Conroy

University of Illinois

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

John Conway

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

James M. Cordes

Cornell University

Thomas M. Crawford

University of Chicago

G. Crew

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Alejandro Cruz-Osorio

Goethe University Frankfurt

Yuzhu Cui

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Jordy Davelaar

Radboud University

Flatiron Institute

Columbia University

Mariafelicia De Laurentis

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

University of Naples Federico II

Goethe University Frankfurt

R. P. Deane

University of Pretoria

Rhodes University

University of Witwatersrand

Jessica Dempsey

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

East Asian Observatory

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

Gregory Desvignes

Max Planck Society

Paris Observatory

Jason Dexter

University of Colorado at Boulder

Vedant Dhruv

University of Illinois

S. Doeleman

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Harvard University

Sean Dougal

University of Arizona

Sergio A. Dzib

Max Planck Society

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)

Ralph P. Eatough

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Max Planck Society

Razieh Emami

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

H.D. Falcke

Radboud University

Joseph R. Farah

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network

University of California

V. Fish

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

E. Fomalont

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

H. Alyson Ford

University of Arizona

R. Fraga-Encinas

Radboud University

William T. Freeman

Google Inc.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

P. Friberg

East Asian Observatory

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

Christian M. Fromm

Max Planck Society

Goethe University Frankfurt

University of Würzburg

Antonio Fuentes

Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA)

Peter Galison

Harvard University

Charles F. Gammie

University of Illinois

Olivier Gentaz

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)

Boris Georgiev

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

University of Waterloo

Roberto Garcia

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)

C. Goddi

University of Cagliari

Istituto nazionale di astrofisica (INAF)

R. Gold

University of Southern Denmark

Goethe University Frankfurt

Arturo I. Gómez-Ruiz

National Council for Science and Technology Mexico

National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics

J. L. Gomez

Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA)

Minfeng Gu

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Shanghai Astronomical Observatory

M. Gurwell

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

K. Hada

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Daryl Haggard

McGill University

Kari Haworth

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Michael H. Hecht

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

R. Hesper

University of Groningen

Dirk Heumann

University of Arizona

Luis C. Ho

Beijing University of Technology

P. T. P. Ho

East Asian Observatory

Academia Sinica

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

M. Honma

University of Tokyo

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

Chih Wei L. Huang

Academia Sinica

Lei Huang

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Shanghai Astronomical Observatory

D. Hughes

National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics

Shiro Ikeda

The Institute of Statistical Mathematics

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

University of Tokyo

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)

C. M. V. Impellizzeri

Leiden University

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Makoto Inoue

Academia Sinica

S. Issaoun

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

NASA Hubble Fellowship Program

David J. James

ASTRAVEO

Buell T. Jannuzi

University of Arizona

Michael Janssen

Max Planck Society

Britton Jeter

Academia Sinica

Astrophysical Journal Letters

2041-8205 (ISSN) 2041-8213 (eISSN)

Vol. 930 2 L12

Subject Categories

Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Computer Vision and Robotics (Autonomous Systems)

DOI

10.3847/2041-8213/ac6674

More information

Latest update

9/15/2023