Astronomers have spotted displays of flashing lights and “fireworks” near a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, a finding researchers said could reveal details about how black holes—among the most mysterious objects in space—behave and interact with their environment.

Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, Northwestern astrophysicists gained the longest, most detailed glimpse yet of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

NASA's flagship space telescope captured flares from the disk of superheated material around the black hole, revealing the dynamic—and explosive—physics at our galaxy's core.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is providing the best look yet at the chaotic events unfolding around the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, observing a steady flickering of light punctuated by occasional bright flares as material is drawn inward by its enormous gravitational pull.

Scientists observed constant flares from the Milky Way's black hole, revealing unpredictable and intense activity.

Farhad Yusef-Zadeh/Northwestern University The supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is putting on a relentless display of flickers and flares, according to new observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

At the center of the Milky Way, a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A* is never at rest. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers have captured the most detailed and longest observation yet of this turbulent cosmic entity.