‘Giant black hole at galaxy’s core’

ASTRONOMERS who have taken a close-up look at the heart of the Milky Way say that “beyond any reasonable doubt” a giant black hole lurks at our galaxy’s core.

Just as swirling leaves caught in a gust of wind can provide clues about air currents, so the stars’ movements reveal information about forces at work at the galactic centre.

The observations show that the stars orbit a central concentration of mass four million times greater than that of the sun.