New discoveries reveal active supermassive black hole in our galaxy.

The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A*, is not as dormant as previously thought, according to a new study. NASA's IXPE space observatory detected an X-ray echo of the black hole's resurgence in activity around 200 years ago, during which it consumed nearby cosmic objects before returning to dormancy. The feeding frenzy lasted from several months to a year, during which the black hole was at least a million times brighter than it is today. Further observations from the IXPE observatory may help astronomers better understand the origin of supermassive black holes.