We’ve seen a lot of marketing gimmicks in our time covering all things pop culture, but we have to say…you are wild for this one, NASA. Presumably so that everyone is equal After Excited by society’s impending self-immolation, astronomers have just released humanity’s first-ever glimpse of the incomprehensible terror that is the supermassive black hole around which our entire Milky Way galaxy orbits. Get hyped, y’all!
Damn hot! Just look at this thing… well, not so much “looking”, since the black hole dubbed Sagittarius A* is not technically visible to our pathetic human eyes, since even light itself does not escape the celestial phenomenon’s cruel grasp. But look at its low resolution effects on the universe around it!
“The light escaping from the hot gas swirling around the black hole appears to us as the bright ring,” said astrophysics professor Feryal Özel. Told BNC News this morning, going on to explain, “Light that is too close to the black hole – close enough to be swallowed by it – ends up crossing its horizon and leaving behind only the dark void in the center. A bit on the nose, Professor Özel, but you won’t get any arguments from us.
According to researchers’ estimates, Sagittarius A* is located at about 27,000 lights.years of the Earth, and is about 4 million times more massive than our own Sun. The news was first revealed today in a special edition of Letters from the Astrophysical Journaland is actually only the second real image of a black hole ever taken.
Moreover, this is apparently the first visual confirmation that it is indeed a black hole that is at the center of our galaxy. Although this theory has been widely accepted for some time, the new image provides compelling evidence to support it. Excellent work, everyone is involved. We will do our best to enjoy it before life imitates the art you provided us today.
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