Like many other galaxies out there, the Milky Way is also featuring a supermassive black hole located at its center. Contrary to what black holes usually do, the supermassive ones placed in such regions of a galaxy can also have a positive role.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is NASA’s version of the next-generation gear to study the stars and galaxies in greater detail than ever before. The space agency launched it last year on Christmas after many delays, and Webb is now making the final preparations before sending the first full-color images of the Universe to Earth. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Webb will also be aiming at the supermassive black hole from the center of our galaxy.
Teaming up with the Event Horizon Telescope to study Sagittarius A*
According to space.com, NASA plans to use the James Webb alongside the Event Horizon Telescope to learn more about the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A, which is located at the core of our Milky Way galaxy. The project aims to study and take pictures of the black hole.
The idea to use both James Webb and the Event Horizon Telescope to study Sagittarius A* is not new. NASA announced the plan even last year in October. That was about two months before Webb’s long-awaited launch that occurred in late December.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has already exceeded some expectations. For instance, back in March, JWST spotted a bright star on a cosmic background that is full of galaxies.
The James Webb Space Telescope is considered the successor of Hubble, another telescope of NASA that’s been activating since 1990. Webb is considered far more advanced, as it’s capable of looking into galaxies and stars deeper than any other telescope was ever capable of before.
