Sagittarius A* (pronounced “Sagittarius A-Star”, abbreviated Sgr A*) is a bright and very compact astronomical radio source at the Galactic Center of the Milky Way. It is located near the border of the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius, about 5.6° south of the ecliptic.
It consists of three components: the supernova remnant Sagittarius A East, the spiral structure Sagittarius A West, and a very bright compact radio source at the center of the spiral, Sagittarius A* (“Sagittarius A-star”). These three overlap: Sagittarius A East is the largest, West appears off-center within East, and A* is at the center of West.
Several of the objects visible in this region are labeled Sagittarius (or Sgr for short) A, B, C, etc., which were the simple names given to bright features apparent in lower resolution images. The objects with SNR in their names are supernova remnants, which should indicate that this is a region of the galaxy where there are young, massive stars forming. Clearly, this is a very complex region of the Milky Way with many overlapping structures. However, astronomers have used many different types of observations at different wavelengths in an effort to reveal even more about the Galactic Center.
Picture Credit : Google
