Milky Way black hole flare leaves X ray echoes in nearby gas cloud

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 07, 2026

Our galaxy’s supermassive black hole is among the faintest known, yet new observations indicate it was far more active in the recent past on cosmic timescales. Sagittarius A*, at the Milky Way’s center, appears to have produced a powerful X ray flare within the last few hundred to 1,000 years, leaving an observable imprint in surrounding gas.

Michigan State University researcher Stephen Di