Worldwide Telescope Aims to Look Into Milky Way Galaxy's Black Heart

摘要

The center of our galaxy-surrounded by a maelstrom of stars, gas, and dust, and separated from us by 26,000 light-years of space filled with all the detritus of the galactic plane-is one of the most challenging things for astronomers to observe. Last week, astronomers gathered in Tucson, Arizona, to work out a plan to combine data from radio telescopes worldwide and create, in effect, a dish the size of Earth. With such a virtual instrument, they say, they'll be able to peer into our galaxy's heart and see the supermassive black hole that resides there.