Space & Astronomy

Is there really a supermassive black hole at our galaxy's core ?

By T.K. Randall
February 6, 2026

Image: First image of our black hole (Sgr A*)
Credit: EHT Collaboration (European Southern Observatory) / CC BY 4.0 (adapted) For years, scientists believed that a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A* sat at the chaotic heart of our galaxy - an object almost beyond comprehension - 40 million miles across and with a mass equal to four million suns.

The actual black hole itself cannot be seen because nothing - not even light - can escape it.

But what if this interpretation of what lies at the galactic core is wrong ?

Now, according to scientists at the Institute of Astrophysics La Plata in Argentina, it might not be a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy but a huge clump of dark matter.The precise nature of dark matter and dark energy, which are thought to account for up to 96% of the observable universe, remains one of the most important unsolved mysteries in modern physics.

Despite concerted efforts, astronomers have been unable to observe dark matter directly because it does not absorb, emit or reflect any electromagnetic radiation, thus making it impossible to see.

According to the researchers, if there was a large clump of dark matter at the center of the Milky Way, it would explain both the galaxy's rotation and the movement of stars near the galactic core.

"We are not just replacing the black hole with a dark object; we are proposing that the supermassive central object and the galaxy's dark matter halo are two manifestations of the same, continuous substance," said study co-author Dr Carlos Arguelles.

Further study will be required, however, to determine if he and his team are correct.

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Galaxy, Black Hole