Sagittarius A*

Sagittarius A* Temporary Tattoo

There is an object at the center of our galaxy that no one has ever seen. Sagittarius A* is a supermassive black hole only known because of the stars orbiting around it. It is the single most massive object in our galaxy, and yet it is impossible to see with the naked eye and almost every kind of telescope. It has a mass 4.3 million times that of our Sun. In 1974 a compact radio emission from an unknown source was detected in the center of the galaxy near the constellation Sagittarius. Upon closer inspection, nothing was visible, and the only indication anything was there was stars orbiting around empty space, where no light escapes. Something had to be there. It existed in theory alone for 40 years, until 2022, when it was imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope, making it the second ever photographed black hole. It sits unseen at the center of the Milky Way, with everything orbiting around it. Sagittarius A* cannot be seen. Instead, you find the constellation Sagittarius, follow the curve of its bow, and arrive at a place where nothing appears exist. Yet the stars tell a different story. Not everything beautiful announces itself. Sometimes you need a map.