First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way
Abstract
Abstract 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 μ as (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 × 10 6 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 10 3 –10 5 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.
Funding
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Ministry of Education, India
- China Scholarship Council
- European Southern Observatory
- National Science Foundation
- Smithsonian Institution
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- John Templeton Foundation
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- University of Chicago
- University of Arizona
- National Center for Theoretical Sciences
- Compute Canada
- Netherlands eScience Center
- Space Telescope Science Institute
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory
- Associated Universities
- International Max Planck Research School for Environmental, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology
- Joint Institute for Computational Fundamental Science
- Flatiron Health
- Government of Canada
- Leverhulme Trust
- European Commission
- National Research Foundation
- University of Pretoria
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Universiteit Leiden
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Universiteit van Amsterdam
- Radboud Universiteit
- Academia Sinica
- Academy of Finland
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Generalitat Valenciana
- Universitat de València
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
- Recruitment Program of Global Experts
- Junta de Andalucía
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
- Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo
- Institut Périmètre de physique théorique
- East Asian Core Observatories Association
- Toray Science Foundation
- Office of Science
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
- Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- National Institutes of Natural Sciences
- National Key Research and Development Program of China
- Office of International Science and Engineering
- Army Research Office
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
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