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HarvardScience is a publication of the Harvard Office of News and Public Affairs devoted to all matters related to science at the various schools, departments, institutes, and hospitals of Harvard University.
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NASA/MIT/F.Baganoff et al.

Chandra catches Milky Way monster snacking

X-ray flare observed from massive black hole at our galaxy's center

September 5, 2001

Researchers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory have, for the first time, observed the black hole at the center of our galaxy devouring material. "This is extremely exciting because it's the first time we have seen our own neighborhood supermassive black hole devour a chunk of material," said team leader Frederick K. Baganoff of MIT. "This signal comes from closer to the event horizon of our galaxy's supermassive black hole than any that we have ever received before. It's as if the material there sent us a postcard before it fell in."

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